Nouvelle
by Zancrow
Summary: {Soma / Erina} After Akira Hayama makes a serious attempt at dethroning Erina Nakiri from her seat in the Elite Ten; Tootsuki's ice-queen finds herself forced to accept the help of none other than Soma Yukihira. Unbeknownst to both, someone else has set their greedy eyes on their predicament. "Hey, Nakiri. Is that tongue of yours really that good?" - (12: Sayonara)
1. To The Victor Go The Spoils

**Rating: **T+

**Pairings: **Soma/Erina, Ryou/Alice, etc… etc…

**Genre: **Romance, FanFictionesque Romantic Drama, Comedy, Hurt/Comfort

**Notes: **

I've come up with this story based on how I would go from the Autumn Festival in terms of what I would like to see happen. Since I do not own the story, I'll make do with fanfiction! This story will take liberties with the cast and story and its canon. The Autumn Election will have concluded; which may or may not end differently than how it'll end in the actual story, and characters will react accordingly. Also, all names will be in western order and I'll probably limit the use of Japanese terms considerably. Just FWI…

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

**Announcement: **_Nouvelle _now has its own TV Tropes page! Link on my Profile Page.

**Liberties:**

\- Akira Hayama won his match against Ryou Kurokiba in the Semi-Finals, instead of it being a tie which would then be resolved in a three-way match between the two and Soma.

\- Jouichirou Yukihira/Saiba lost during his first round in the Autumn Election of his year; as opposed of reaching the finals alongside Gin Doujima with a currently unknown outcome. He lost because of his "experiments".

\- Similarly, Jouichirou Yukihira/Saiba actually did graduate in this story from Tootsuki; while in canon he didn't for reasons yet unknown.

\- LIST WILL CONTINUE TO BE UPDATED WITH ANY OTHER NOTEWORTHY CHANGE.

* * *

"Soma Yukihira…"

The dramatic pause was deliberate, everyone could tell. The old man didn't show it much, but he was rather eccentric and always tried to put on a show. Well, not overly at least. The sudden stripping as a sign of approval was a personality trait which went against every other of his describable characteristics anyways.

But if there was one thing Senzaemon Nakiri took deadly serious, above all else, was the healthy spirit of competition. So as the now shirtless man stood before the audience of the Autumn Festival, silence filled the stadium. Only the soft grizzle of the leftover oils still burning slightly was heard as both Soma Yukihira and Akira Hayama awaited their results. Soma's expression was deadpan; while Akira's was calm. The rest of the student body were still trying to regain their composure after having witnessed what could be deemed the closest and biggest Shokugeki ever between two first-years. Even the loud Polar Star Dorm members were quiet, with their "Go Yukihira Go!" posters and flags facing the floor as everyone awaited the final verdict.

"…Ever since your speech when you first came here, you have never ceased to amaze and, admittedly, amuse us all. Today, you proved your worth as an alumni of Tootsuki and I sincerely hope you continue to polish those skills which have allowed you to get this far. A sentiment I share with you all," he turned to face the audience as he spoke, giving them all a soft smile. "It is only your first year; you all still have time to dedicate to being the best. Let this not give you the fear of losing but the courage to keep on fighting."

As the old man spoke, Erina Nakiri stood high up at the arena's VIP area, looking down upon the competition's arena as her grandfather carried on his speech; as she could see both Soma and Akira visibly stiffen more and more the longer it took the old man to just say who won. Hisako Arato, ever the faithful secretary and assistant, stood alongside her Lady. After pondering a bit about the ever present silence, she slowly turned to her. "I'd never though that that Yukihira boy could give Akira Hayama such a fight, I think he's the new favorite to win," she mentioned softly. "Underdog overcoming the genius sort of thing…"

"Grandfather seems to have taken a liking to him," Erina preferred not to mention him by name, as rolling the words "Soma" or "Yukihira" on her tongue left a disgusting aftertaste which she rather not keep on receiving. And it was true, to some extent. Her grandfather had been the one to allow that third-rate chef to stay at Tootsuki, over her allegations, and had even applauded him for beating Alice. Even if Erina knew her overly spoiled cousin deserved it, she would have much preferred anyone else besting her instead of the Yukihira boy.

"Not just your grandfather, most of the crowd. Over there he seems to have a parade," Hisako spoke as she pointed to the Polar Stars.

"Some people get over excited," responded Erina, paying little, if any, attention to the crowd.

"The judges just fought over these results. That doesn't normally happen," said Hisako as she turned towards Erina, adding, "Does it?"

"Sometimes."

"A fist fight? The judge with glasses just lost a tooth," Hisako explained.

"I've seen worse," then Erina stopped, her lips forming an ever-so coy smile. "Hisako, look! Grandfather going to name the winner. This'll be good."

"Huh?" before Hisako could ask any further, she heard the change in tone Senzaemon made from a proud teacher to a strict examiner. Everyone in the room froze.

"…So, Soma Yukihira. I congratulate you," Senzaemon smiled widely as he spoke while turning to face the young man again. Soma could feel, despite himself, a sense of nervousness run down his spine. "You are a truly gifted individual and this year's Autumn Election Runner-up-"

His mind went blank.

Soma couldn't even continue to focus on what Senzaemon was saying, hearing only a few words and phrases like "even if", "second", "surely", "next time", "proud" and being unable to register any of them. He forced himself not to look down, not to let his eyes face anything else but the man himself. The man who was telling him he did not deserve the title of champion.

The man who was currently giving said title to Akira Hayama.

Soma Yukihira could only clench his fist and force a smile. He could hear the audience murmuring, and while he couldn't tell what they were saying, it wasn't too hard to guess. Loud mouth transfer student beaten by the elite foreign student. What was worse, the match had been a Shokugeki, which meant he owed Akira Hayama now.

Soma Yukihira thought this was unbearable.

Erina Nakiri thought this was delicious.

-0-

After Akira was "crowned" the champion of the Autumn Festival, Soma approached him before the former could leave the stage. As the audience had begun to get on their feet, their attention was planted solely back on the stage; many a chefs-in-training believing Soma was going to clock Akira or something for the loss.

"Something on your mind, Yukihira?" Akira mentioned, turning towards Soma. Soma had no intention of hitting him, as per the louder whispers of the audience he could now understand foretold, but the thought was not entirely unpleasant. Regardless, Soma just narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled.

"Two things really. First," he said, as extended his hand towards Akira. "It was a good match, congratulations on the victory."

Akira shook his hand, smiling in turn. "I had thought you a less graceful loser; it is refreshing to see otherwise."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I am severely pissed off, your attitude isn't helping and I would be willing to do as these guys think and wait for you outside with a baseball bat and sandpaper," the audience took a three second silence at that comment, while Soma only turned his serious expression back to a smile. "But, as a chef I can't ignore the fact that your dish was fabulous. Truly an impressive piece of work."

"Yours was as well."

When Soma noticed that that was all Akira was going to say on the matter, since he had thought maybe his opponent would be a bit more expressive, Soma opted to just continue to the second thing he wanted to say. "…And two, what do you want me to do?"

"About?" Akira asked, while seemingly curious Soma could see a small smile on his lips. It infuriated him further.

"About…," he mimicked Akira; much to the latter's amusement. "…the Shokugeki. You said that I had to, and I quote: "work on your next Shokugeki as an assistant chef and lackey"."

"I never said "lackey"."

"Open to interpretation," was Soma's offhand response. "But, really, what do you want me to do?"

Senzaemon stared on the two boys stared each other on, heavily intent on hearing what Akira was going to ask for. While his term of victory on the Shokugeki was acceptable, it was vague enough for Akira to use to his advantage. One which Senzaemon was going to make sure followed every standard Tootsuki has.

"For now? Nothing really," Soma's eyes widened as Akira said those words, feeling even more annoyed. Before he could voice his annoyance, however, Akira continued. "What I asked for was clear. On my next Shokugeki, you'll be an assistant. Until then, you needn't do anything. Whenever I'll take on my next opponent, you'll be informed."

"So I'm "on-call"."

"If you prefer to see it that way."

Senzaemon just smiled. These two boys were so interesting; and they were going to continue being interesting even after the competition was long over. Such is the life of a chef, a constant battleground. It remained to be seen if they both could overcome the adversity their results now made them face.

If Soma could overcome a defeat on such a large stage having had victory so close to him.

And if Akira could overcome the pride of victory which could become his downfall.

This would be so interesting.

-0-

"Are you sure about this? I mean, I know he deserves it, but…," Hisako stammered a bit at the end, unsure of how or what to say. Erina, however, didn't mind. She could not let this moment pass.

"That commoner just lost. I want to see his face and rub it in so much he cries and leaves Tootsuki for good. I want him never to grasp even a spoon for as long as he lives," Erina spoke with bright, bright smiles; which made Hisako a bit worried. A little too much, not that she'd say so. "I can't wait; he should be around here, right?"

Before Hisako could answer, both girls heard Soma's voice, which caused Erina to lighten up even more. "Quick, he sounds angry. I bet he's hitting himself against the wall. Hurry!"

Hisako had not seen Erina this happy in a long time, and it caused her some concern towards her friend. She loved seeing Erina happy, that much was a given, but considering the cause, maybe it was a little too much. Still, she wouldn't say a word; so she was forced to simply follow Erina towards a rough sounding Yukihira.

Upon reaching him on one of the many halls of the stadium, both Erina and Hisako were greeted by the sight of not only Yukihira, but the Aldini twins as well. The only one amongst the three to even notice the blonde and autumn-haired girls was Isami, who gave them both a soft smile. One which only Hisako, if only out of common courtesy, returned.

"For the last time, just take it. I don't even know how to use it," Soma expressed, which Erina's unasked question about what he was referring to was answered the moment he motioned his hand towards Takumi, sporting a mezzaluna in hand. "Just take it back."

"For the last time Yukihira, I will not. I will win it from you when we have our rematch," Takumi crossed his arms and scoffed, and Yukihira seemed to want to slash him with the curved two-handed knife.

"Why won't you simply take it? I still have thirty-two other utensils I have to give back to their proper owners, some of which aren't even here anymore. All the others took theirs without complain."

"If they feel fine doing so, I don't mind, but to me it's different," he turned his head the other way, staring to the entrance towards the arena. "Before my rematch with you comes my rematch with Mimasaka. I can't accept losing to him after you beat him."

"Don't be such a stubborn loser," Yukihira decided to ignore the irony. "Chances are Mimasaka's dirty tricks would have given me trouble if your match against him hadn't made me witness them first hand."

"Still, I refuse. I'll get mezzaluna back, myself. And I'll crush you with it afterwards."

"Brother, how will you crush him with it if you have to beat him to get it back?" as Isami asked, Soma could see Takumi turn bright red. Ever the quick to fluster, Takumi just soft spoke something unintelligible to Isami which the younger twin somehow understood and nodded to. Erina took this as a cue to interrupt.

"If I may, that was some conclusion to the main event," at this both Soma and Takumi turned towards Erina and Hisako, the former with a sly smile on her features and the latter with an apologetic one. "What counter do you have for this display?"

"Nakiri, were you just eavesdropping on us?"

"Wha-? What does…? I've been standing here the whole time, neither of you even noticed-but that's not the point. Yukihira, you lost."

"That I did."

"…Which means," not the reaction she was expecting. No head banging or tears. Maybe she had to get through his façade first. "…You couldn't keep up your intention on being the best."

"That's not true."

Bingo. Denial. First step of grievance. She had to milk it.

"No use in denying it. You lost, on the grand stage. So much from learning from your failures," it was the phrase he had uttered during the banquette at the hotel. Those words might have given someone like Alice some doubt, but not her. In the world of cooking, there are only two options. Either you succeed, or you fail.

"You call second place a failure, man, it is really hard to understand you sometimes Nakiri," she hated when he called her so nonchalantly. Like if they were on friendly terms or something. Before she could voice it, he continued. "I wanted the gold, but the silver is nice anyways. I won't lie, it is disappointing, but maybe it would have been too boring to win on my first try."

"You're making no sense," Erina felt the need to mention.

"Well, Goku didn't win his first tournament, right?"

"That was against his mas-just what are you talking about?" she asked while wondering if he was purposely trying to change the topic at hand. She wouldn't let him. "You really are in denial!"

"Did you seriously come her to rub salt in my wounds or is this your way of encouraging me to push myself even further?" he honestly sounded unsure; which irked her even more. "It's hard to tell with you and your mixed messages."

"Mixed messages? I'm being clear. The last thing I'd do is encourage a commoner like you any further than you've done so yourself," she ended her statement with a scoff, causing Soma to cock his head a bit in confusion.

Hisako and Isami shared a glance before they both decided it was best not to say a word. Takumi, on the other hand, watched nervously as Yukihira swung the mezzaluna around as he spoke to Nakiri; hoping his decision to leave his prized artifact in the hands of his rival until he could earn it back was a good idea. By the time the three got back to listening to the conversation between the two; they had somehow gotten way of topic.

"-the one who lost his tooth, that one," Soma extended his index finger as he mentioned "one", while everyone outside of Erina was confused about why or how the argument had shifted towards that poor sap.

"Oh. I still don't see the resemblance to… I refuse to continue this conversation," with that said, feeling tricked, Erina just stopped. "Yukihira," damn, why must his name keep slipping out of her tongue? "Just accept your loss. Stop trying to mask it. Second-best is still third-rate."

Erina didn't notice it, but Hisako eyes were down casted. The Aldini boys felt a similar pang, but Takumi quickly interrupted. "Not that it's my business, but that's not really the point of the festival."

"Oh?"

"He's right Nakiri," Soma added, his change in tone surprised her. He sounded serious. Mad even. Did she finally hit a nerve? Her smile grew a bit before he continued. "No one who lost the festival is third-rate. Heck, being chosen is an accomplishment in its own way. We may not be the best yet, but if you think your untouchable because you're in your chair, you best watch out, since I didn't see you there competing."

"I'm above you all, what part of that don't you understand."

"And we'll catch up to you, hope you understand. All these…" he spoke up while signaling everyone present there, himself included. "…as you called us, "third-rates" here: Takumi, Isami, Hishoko and yours truly; will reach you."

"Her name's not…" she stopped, before turning to Hisako. At that moment Hisako smiled back at Erina, awaiting an instruction or something, but Erina saw it. "W-Wait, Hisako. I didn't mean you-I…"

Both Soma and Takumi stared, both arms crossed and serious; as Erina felt her ears redden due to being put in this position. She turned, scoffed, and spoke: "Don't go changing my meanings; you know what I meant. Hisako, come on, let's go."

As Hisako followed a retreading Erina, she was quick to speak: "Don't let him bother you. I understood what you meant."

"You're a good chef Hisako. You have pedigree, unlike some people. You'll never be third-rate," Erina added, but she didn't look at Hisako. She instead gave her a soft smile. "Come; let me make us something good."

Hisako's feelings of sadness were quickly replaced by mouth-watering thoughts of just what Erina could possibly make.

As the ice queen left, Soma and the Aldini brothers were left there for a few minutes without saying anything. Isami thought he had to try and break the silence, but the two "rivals" managed to get a few words out. Five, at that.

"Take it."

"I said no."

-0-

"Hey, Hayama," said a young man who was walking a few steps from the dark-skinned champion. Akira had felt his presence a few moments ago, but had thought not much of it. He didn't think he had any more to say to him. Or her, for that matter; as he saw he was being accompanied by his "owner".

"Kurokiba. Need anything," spoke Akira softly; turning to face the duo. While Ryou Kurokiba's facial features didn't demonstrate much, Akira could tell he wasn't in an overly good mood. His friend (lover?) and apparent "owner" was a different story altogether. Erina's cousin Alice was the polar opposite of her ice queen family member; and outside of the tantrum she threw upon losing to Yukihira, she never seemed upset or sad.

"You damn well know what I "need". The hell you playing at here?" Ryou, despite his language, seemed mostly calm. Akira merely stared as he awaited a more proper question. Sensing this, Ryou continued. "When we competed you gave me the same condition for our Shokugeki. That I'd also be an assistant. You plan to make everyone here serve you or something? First me, now Yukihira?"

"Oh, that," Akira spoke softly. If he were to be a little more mean spirited, he could grow to enjoy this. Could. "Don't misinterpret my conditions. Yukihira's deal is a little bit different than yours is. One word different to be exact."

"The hell?"

"You'll see soon enough. You see, I-"

"You're going towards grandfather, right?" It was Alice who spoke up, apparently having grown tired of merely listening. That girl didn't like to stay quiet for too long anyways. "Well look at you. Already the victor of the festival and now you're going to the head honcho himself. Are you going to challenge him or something?"

"Don't be absurd Alice, as if-" Ryou's statement was interrupted by Akira's own confirmation to her statement.

"You could put it like that, in a way…" Akira answered in the most monotone tone possible.

"What?" Ryou just flatly asked, dumbfounded.

"Oh, first you steal my assistant and now you want my grandfather. You're a little too greedy, eh Hayama?" Alice showed no other emotion other than amusement as she spoke, which caused Ryou to merely sign in response. Akira attempted to end the conversation there but ever-the-not-quiet Alice continued. "Now that I think about it like that, I should be mad, shouldn't I? Erina still has her Hishoko with her while I'm stuck sharing Ryou with you. Seriously," she turned to face Ryou. "You're a bit of a slut, huh?"

"Just what in the world are-?" he got cut off.

"It all happened so fast, you guys just fight and decide all this… I mean," she stopped as she began to murmur. She imagined their fight,_ instead of an arena, the two where outside, Akira and Ryou, as the sun had begun to set and the cherry blossoms swirled around them in a synchronized pattern and lovely pattern. Both boys faced each other intently, as Akira spoke in a calm yet powerful voice._

"_I won, Ryou. You know what this means," he spoke as his eyes filled with desire, as Ryou felt his face begin to flush but her refused to show it. Not now, not here. Not to him!_

"_I could never. You know I belong to Alice, I could never betray her for you," his voice didn't sound as serious as he had hoped it would. He was faltering; but, did Akira notice. He could never read this man's intentions._

"_You can, and you will," his intentions were clear, unwavering. Ryou felt a chill like no other caress his spine. He was going to be taken in by Akira, whether he wanted to or not. "B-but," he tried to protest, damn his nervousness. His body was betraying him. But he had to fight; he had to argue against it. He could not let his Lady down. "Milady Alice would never-"_

"_No longer must you mention her, Ryou," as Akira spoke he grabbed Ryou by the chin, and as Ryou tried to protest, he felt Akira's hand being firmly planted against his buttocks; locking him in. This man was a monster. Beautiful monster. With a smile in his lips, Akira continued: "From this moment on. You. Are. Mine."_

_The he got closer. "All. Mine."_

_Ryou's eyes widen, as Akira got even closer. The latter's lips were moist, mere inches away from Ryou's own virgin lips. In that instant, Akira closed the gap between them, and…_

"Oh my…"

Neither Akira nor Ryou had any idea why Alice, against Akira's earlier observations of her, had actually stopped talking midsentence and had remained silent for over a minute outside from that "oh my" that had escaped her ever reddening face. Akira had a theory which was constantly being proven by all of these "classmates" of his; the student-body of this Academy were all utterly insane.

"Is she going to be alright," it was more curiosity than concern that caused Akira to ask; if only to end the awkward silence.

"I don't want to know."

"Well… If you'll excuse me, I have to speak to the Headmaster. Whenever it is that I need your services, Kurokiba, you'll be the first to know," with those words spoke, Akira turned and left; leaving Ryou next to a daydreaming Alice.

"Just what is going inside that head of yours?"

"Shh, silence. It's getting to the good part. Yes, show him who the man is."

Ryou Kurokiba was in many ways considered to be fearless and ultra-violent, something which would always be represented in the dishes he made. Today, however, he decided that whatever it was Alice was imagining, he was better off not knowing.

Pandora's Box is better left closed.

-0-

Soma Yukihira was not a graceful loser. Sure, he could fake a smile, a laugh, maybe even a conversation; but when it came really down to it, he absolutely hated losing. He was sure many people did, but to him, losing was a blow not just to him, but to "Yukihira's" as well. His family restaurant suffered because he wasn't the best. And it wasn't the first time he had lost.

Barely passing the 200 meals.

Losing against Koujirou who used a meal that wasn't even his specialty.

And now this. The match had been close, very close. But against everything he stood for, he couldn't help but agree with Erina a little bit.

"_Second place is third-rate."_

While he didn't agree with that sentiment, he could understand where she was coming from. Second place was good, but it still wasn't the first place. You weren't the best, you weren't the strongest. Had he fought Akira in the first round, he would have probably lost there and would have been, what, tied at fifth alongside three others? All he was now was simply Akira's last victory, another win for his ever expanding resume.

"Damn!" he shouted against his pillow, let he allow all of Polar Star Dorm residents hear the tantrum he was now going to privately throw. Did they think Alice was loud? They didn't want to hear him. "I can't believe I lost," the sound was only barely muffled by the pillow hard pressed to his face. He hadn't even bothered to change his clothes; and the smell and scent of Akira's dish still lingered on. It was as if it were constantly slapping him. "Ahhh! How am I going to tell my old man this? If I didn't win this thing, how am I going to reach the top? How am I going to get Nakiri to like what I give her! I'll be a has-been, a third-rate chef who can only cook things that come with detailed instructions. "Boil water", "let it drain", "add cheese"… "Stir!"… Damn!"

His wallow in self-pity was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, causing Soma to bolt to his feet and let out a overly-enthusiastic "who's there" which he made a mental note to tone a bit down. The response quickly came after a four second pause. "Soma, i-it's me, Megumi."

"Oh! Tadokoro! Come on it, I was just, erm, resting my eyes," Soma planted the biggest smile he could as he let Megumi into his room, which went not unnoticed by the gentle girl as she seemed to have a look of concern. Well, more concern than what was usual. "What you need Tadokoro?"

"Are you alright?"

"Me? I'm fine. The match was close; I got to make Akira sweat, so that's something. Takumi still doesn't want his mezzaluna back, so I'm thinking about taking classes in fencing to give it some use until he decides to beat me for it. Oh, and I spoke to Nakiri about my loss and she called me third-rate and something and the other, so… I'm fine," his words came out so fast and consecutive Megumi had a little trouble following it all. But she heard enough. She knew him enough.

"You're not third-rate Soma, far from it. Don't let her get to you."

"I never said she-"

"Shh, don't interrupt," she pressed her index finger against her own lips, playfully. Soma decided to ignore the fact that she had just interrupted him; allowing the black haired girl to continue: "As I was saying, Soma has taught me so much. It's thanks to you I made it this far. I mean, out of all the alumni here in their first year, I'm like, what, eighth or ninth in ranking. That's got to count for something. Because if you're third-rate, what rate am I?"

Soma just smiled at that. He knew she was trying to cheer him up, and the funny thing was, she was managing to do so. Defeat was defeat, that was a given. But at that, you could still learn from it. He has lost so many times against his old man; and back at home there were times he couldn't keep up with all of the costumers' demands.

"You're something else Tadokoro," his smile was still ever present; causing Megumi to avert her eyes a bit; trying to avoid blushing too much. "You're right. I'm not third-rate, I mean, I almost won… So at worst, I'm second-rate."

She laughed. "That still doesn't sound too reassuring, Soma."

"Maybe not, but it's a start. Anyway, how are you holding up Tadokoro? The festival is over, any news on what's to come now. Sending us to an island to live on our own for a month or something like that?"

"Actually that assignment is given on your second year."

Both Soma and Megumi turned to face Satoshi Isshiki, who was all smiles posing ever so gallantly at the doorway; dressed in a rather fine set of semi-casual clothing. "Come now you two, shouldn't you be preparing yourselves for the festival's closing ceremony?"

"Closing?" asked Soma.

"Ceremony?" finished Megumi.

"Yep! You didn't expect such a big event to end on such a low-key manner, no offense to your match Soma, but I'm referring to simply calling someone champion and nothing else," as Satoshi spoke, both Soma and Megumi decided not to tell him that they had in fact considered the festival to be long over. "What does indeed come next," Satoshi continued, "is the grand closing ceremony that all participants and student-audience get to partake in. I could describe it, but in an hour or so, you'll be seeing it, so… Soma, take a bath, you smell like you fell into Akira's pot. Tadokoro, we need to get you prettied up, as one of the top eight, you'll be one of the ceremony's biggest attractions."

"Wha-?"

Before she could voice any complains, Satoshi grabbed her and carried her away, leaving Soma alone in his room once again. Dumbfounded. Still, he took a sniff at his clothes and decided a bath would be a good idea.

-0-

"Here we are!"

As Satoshi gave the crew an overly enthusiastic welcome to the ceremony's gathering area; which was wide enough to hold every first year at Tootsuki and then some; especially given since it was being celebrated outside. Only the scaffold with a few fancy seats and a microphone could be spotted amongst the many, many people walking around in fancy suits and expensive dresses.

The Polar Stars were not to be left out. Soma had been, rather forced, to dress in a fancy suit for the event, coupled with a yellowish tie that was said "to bring out his eyes" more. Whatever that meant. Satoshi merely picked one of his many suits for the occasion, stating that this event was more for them than for him, but that didn't stop many of the girls (and a few guys) from stealing glances at his direction.

The other members where equally pimped out. Shun Ibusaki was currently wearing what appeared to be a designer colored suit with a matching tie; while Zenji Marui was dressed in an all-black suit, black tie, black shoes, probably black underwear.

As a few girls seemed to take notice of Shun once they entered the area, Yuuki Yoshino was quick to grab him by the arm and keep him close. As he protested, she merely smiled and told him that she could get lost amongst that many people. Yuuki herself was wearing a rather short dress, which covered none of her back, and was colored in a light-blue cerulean tint which matched her ever shining eyes.

Another eye-matching dress belonged to Megumi. A mixture of yellow and cream which Satoshi had hand-picked for her, at her request of not putting on anything too revealing. A small equally colored hand purse completed the outfit, stuffed with only a piece of gum and some paper since she had nothing else to put on it.

Lastly was Ryoko Sakaki, who no one in the area had any idea how she was dressed. All anyone knew, male or female, was that it displayed a lot of her ample cleavage. That would be the best description anyone could hope to make.

"Alright, enough waiting," Satoshi motioned towards them. "Go on, enjoy yourselves."

"Hey! Why didn't we get descriptions?" the two other guy's that made up Polar Star Dorms where all but ignored by the rest aside from a confused looking Megumi; as everyone moved in towards different parts of the ceremony grounds.

Soma decided it would be a good time to try the free foods, maybe get a few new ideas on how to improve his dishes. However, as luck would have it, the first time he tried to grab one of the karaage on a stick that were being handed out, another hand took it. Said hand belonged to Erina Nakiri.

"If it's kept out in the open, it'll get swarmed by bugs. Keep it inside and serve it upon order. Got it?" she was ordering the boy and girl in charged to cooking; both of which, rather annoyed, nodded towards the ice queen. Soma smiled.

"Even at ceremonies you're still a party-pooper, I see."

Erina didn't even bother to turn to him. "Go bother someone else; I've talked to you enough to last till November."

"So now you have quotas? Cool," Soma took one of the other karaage from the duo, who gave him a quick thank you. "Besides, karaage is a meal you eat out in the open. It's ruined if you keep it under wraps or have to wait too much for it."

"Spare me your views, Yukihira," damn, she said his name again. "Karaage is still food, regardless of how simple it is, so if it is to be served at Tootsuki, it must meet our standards, if not-" she never finished, as Soma stuffed the karaage he was holding into her mouth without warning. At this he saw the cooking duo turn ghostly pale and put up a "closed" sign on the table. Over-exaggeration much?

"The hell!?" Erina blasted out as she chewed and swallowed. A lady such as herself could not spit something out; but she almost reflectively did. "Do you want to get thrown out by sexual assault?"

"How in the world is that sexual? And I just made you tried it," he spoke while smiling, waving the karaage around. "You can't just judge something without trying it, and karaage is at its best like this."

"I swear I'll…" she dropped it; she will not give him the right to argue against her. And she refused to admit that the karaage had been pretty good, but still not up to her standards at all. But she knew if she voiced that, he'd just reply that she was basing her accusations against her standards and not Tootsuki. Which was true. Had they not been up to Tootsuki's standards, they would not have been allowed to set up their table here anyway.

"You're going to get wrinkles ahead of time if you keep that sour face all the time," as he spoke, mocking her at that, she was going to counter when she saw that he nonchalantly placed the remaining karaage into his mouth and ate it. After he had placed it on hers. He was eating her saliva!

"What are you doing?"

"Eating."

"Don't play stupid, I mean-"

This time the interruption came from Erina being hugged from behind. All fifteen curse words she was automatically going to say were stopped when she caught a glimpse of a very whitish blonde hair. "Hey Erina, having some alone time with Soma here?"

"Ah, Nakiri Number Two, what's up?"

"How rude, we haven't seen each other since our match and you still can't be bothered to learn my name. Remember, Alice. Alice. Like the story," her voice was still teasing, as she refused to let Erina go despite the latter's protests. "Anyway, I wanted to congratulate you on your near victory, as I'm sure my lovely Erina here already did."

"Sure…" Both Soma and Erina said in unison. Alice merely continued.

"Besides that, I'm glad Erina here is finally putting that figure to good use," as she spoke she clasped her hands against Erina's waist, causing the elder cousin to push herself from Alice's grasp. "Enough Alice. What do you want?"

"Nothing, just admiring your dress is all. Did you compliment her Soma?"

"On what, getting dressed?"

"You're a real Casanova, you know," as Soma pondered what she meant Alice turned to Erina. "But really, look at you. Seems you're not too much unaware of what you got that dress really does bring attention to that lovely bosom you have."

"Shut it Alice, but I'm surprised; you're covering more than usual."

"You're being rude too. I'm no slut, you know. Besides, I'm with Ryou so I can't give him the wrong idea," at that comment it was when both Erina and Soma noticed Ryou standing a few feet from them; wearing a matching navy blue suit to match Alice's own. A direct contrast to Erina's golden sleeveless dress and white gloved hands and arms. Had she not had the reputation she did, she would have been the most requested girl at the event, or at least at odds with Ryoko Sakaki and Ikumi Mito.

"Oh, Kurokiba. Didn't see you there," Soma spoke to the quiet guy in the background, who at hearing his surname turned to face Soma.

"I'm good at blending in," he approached the group as he spoke, followed by saying: "Furthermore, there's something I should mention to you Yukihira. Ak-"

"Don't spoil it. Let me," Alice interrupted him by banging the back of her head against his face. For all his manliness Ryou was left holding his nose in pain as Alice cheerfully carried on what he had tried to say. "Akira Hayama was talking to grandpa a little while back, seems he was itching for a challenge."

"You can challenge the old man, cool."

"You cannot Yukihira," Erina objected, turning to Alice. "As far as candidates go, Hayama is impressive, but he has to be suicidal to challenge grandfather. You probably heard a few details wrong."

"No, no. I asked him myself. He said it was something like that."

"That's not a confirmation."

Before Alice could continue to try and convince her cousin on what Akira had said, the boy in question had made his way to the center of the scaffold, accompanied by most of the Tootsuki personnel. Amongst which was Jun Shiomi, who was apparently trying to pull Akira back but he just gave her a pat on the head and resumed his position.

The moment when Senzaemon Nakiri cleared his throat all of the party came to a halt.

"I know this is a night of celebration, so you won't want to hear this old geezer talk too much, but at least allow me two announcements," as he spoke, everyone's attention where shifting from Senzaemon to Akira and back. Murmurs began to spread about what it could be, from Akira being accepted into Tootsuki's workforce to their having been an error in the results and Akira was being removed from his championship. Only Alice's "see" and "I told you" spoke of something else entirely.

"First, I wish to congratulate Akira Hayama once again for his wonderful display at today's final round. Akira, you are an honor to Tootsuki," at this, the old man began to clap, and everyone else followed suit. Soma clapped five times, one for each judge that had given Akira the win, and not once more. Only Erina refused to clap.

"And secondly, I'll allow Akira Hayama to speak for himself. Akira, if you please."

As Akira took the microphone, everyone's attention was centered on him. Ryou visibly stiffened as his fist clenched, while Alice was almost about to remove Erina's shoulder from her torso if she kept tugging her any harder. Out of everyone's, only Soma and Erina's expression went unchanged.

"I'm not one for speeches, so I'll keep this short. First, I'd like to thank Jun for allowing me to have this wonderful opportunity," as he spoke this, everyone turned to face the red-faced teacher who was at a loss for words. Akira winked at her before turning to face the crowd. "And lastly, I'd like to publicly announce my next intentions here at Tootsuki. A recent transfer student once said that he'd like to use everyone here as stepping stones to reach the top."

The air went cold around the area, it being the only moment Erina turned from facing the scaffold and looking at Soma, whose expression betrayed his composed act ever so slightly. What she couldn't see, however, was how his nails were digging into the inside of his palm for every word Akira spoke.

'_Just what are you after?' _Soma thought, his stare capable of burning through Akira's skull if such a thing were possible. Akira was a calm and collected individual; he would have no gain from edging people on like this without some motive.

"Today, I share his sentiment," Akira continued, to a collective low-key gasp from the audience. "However, instead of all of you," he continued, as his sight shifted upon a sole individual. "My stepping stone shall be one at a time; starting with the biggest one present here. Erina Nakiri…"

This time Soma turned to face Erina, as she in turn turned to meet Akira's stare directly.

"I hereby challenge you to a Shokugeki, with your position as the Elite's Tenth Seat as the prize."

Everyone froze, turning their attention from Akira towards Erina, nearly snapping their necks at how quickly they turned to face her. Ryou was silent, staring. Alice gave a soft "that's what he meant" comment, while Soma uttered a single "Nakiri?" in response to a girl who seemed not to have heard what Akira had just publicly issued.

But soon a wide smile presented itself on Erina's features.

"My, my," Erina's tone seemed to mirror Alice's own, but ever more so serious and cold. "What big arrogance we just got…"

* * *

%


	2. Best Served Cold

**Rating: **T+

**Pairings: **Soma/Erina

**Notes:**

Thank you all for the positive response. Considering I can't seem to get this story out of my head until it's all on fictional-computer-paper; I might as well give you Chapter Number 2 of our story. Do note that further changes from canon will be taken, since this basically derails from canon at around chapter 81. Chapters 82 &amp; 83 could have happen in broader strokes, but as of this writing the newest chapter is #84 and I don't want to ruin my story by trying to make it fit into the canon continuity. The good news is that Soma and Erina are interacting.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

* * *

"Erina Nakiri."

Everyone's attention was shifted towards Tootsuki's resident ice queen as Akira dropped the bomb he had been preparing since his victory against Soma. "I hereby challenge you to a Shokugeki, with your position as the Elite's Tenth Seat as the prize."

As mixture of realization and horror dawned onto everyone, the sole exception being Alice who finally understood what Akira had been aiming at. Despite this, the calm look that Erina had on her face did not betray one bit of the relaxed aura she was giving. In fact, she was smiling.

"My, my. What big arrogance we just got…" she spoke in the most seductive voice Alice had ever heard her utter. As her eyes narrowed, Erina crossed her arms across her ample chest, dignified. Only her eyes were darting upwards, since even if Akira was standing above her, she would not give him the privilege of being looked up to by her. "…out of one minor victory. Getting congratulated on a stage," she continued, her voice dripping with something that caused Soma to involuntary stiffen. "…and you already think you have what it takes to dethrone me?"

"Is that an acceptance?" the eagerness in Akira's voice was for the first time prominent, if only ever so slightly. Erina chuckled.

"Almost. State your terms. What do I get out of this?"

"I can give you whatever you like," the squeal from several girls who were fans of Akira that sentence caused was augmented by the fact that everyone was quiet. Motivated even further by Erina's "is that so?" response.

"Ryou! Ryou! Do you know what this means?" Alice shook him vigorously as she spoke, which caused her assistant to merely nod his head in response. Who didn't know what this meant. "I mean, really," Alice continued. "Akira's going to cheat on you."

As Soma could sworn he heard Kurokiba mouth something unintelligible, he turned towards the glowing (no doubt thanks to her dress) Erina Nakiri and spoke: "Hey, seems like you won't be too bored after all. Since Hayama here wants to challenge you to-Hey! Wait a minute. Hayama! Aren't I involved in this?"

"Wait, so am I," Ryou added.

"Oh my gosh. The exes found out!" both boys tried to ignore Alice's comment; even if Soma didn't really understand what she meant and Ryou refused to.

"That you are. I've already talked to the Director here and the faculty staff. Both you Soma Yukihira and you Ryou Kurokiba are going to participate in this as assistants," even before he had finished stating this, Erina's soft laughter could be heard. Akira turned his attention to her once again. "Something on you mind?"

"It's nothing much, just…" she stopped, taking a look to her left towards Soma, followed by another to her right towards Ryou before continuing. "You want to take me on with these two as backup? I'm sorry but, this won't save you."

"On the contrary Nakiri, I was clear during my last two bouts."

"Would you care to explain?"

"Certainly," he moved a little bit towards their group, as all attention centered on Akira once again. "Kurokiba is to become my assistant, as I specifically stated that: "should you lose, Kurokiba, you are to work on my next Shokugeki as my assistant chef". Having seen his work first hand, I've got no doubt he can be of very good use."

"And me?" Soma asked, hands in pocket. "How useful am I to you?"

"You aren't listening Yukihira," Akira stated, closing his eyes for a brief moment before continuing. "With you, I stated, and I quote: "should you lose, Yukihira, you are to work on my next Shokugeki as _an_ assistant chef". I never once stated you'd be working _for_ me."

"Then…?" Nakiri started.

"…I'm?" Soma continued.

"With her," Akira concluded signaling towards Erina.

The silence broke as everyone shouted something different. Everyone thought of this in a different manner. From Takumi who had been the whole time looking for Soma, to Ikumi who had been late after finding out she lacked fancy clothes, to Hisako who had had to go to the bathroom and had had to deal with her new stalker Nao Sadatsuka attempting to enter her stall, to resident master of ceremonies Urara Kawashima who was getting irritated that she had not been asked to share such big news. Even the scattered members of Polar Star were dumbstruck, save for Satoshi who had a knowing if somewhat mischievous grin accompanying his features. After nearly a minute of whispers and whispers; Senzaemon thought it be best to end it all.

"Enough," his loud voice, even without the aid of the microphone, was enough to cause everyone to become quiet… save for a laughing Alice. Giving his younger granddaughter ten seconds to stop her laughing (she took thirteen), Senzaemon continued once her laughter subsided. "Akira Hayama has made his intentions clear, and as per norm, when challenging a member of the Elite Ten the Shokugeki that ensues is not like those most of you have participated in. It's a bit bigger, requires assistant chefs and several other preparations. Should you accept this Erina Nakiri, the process would begin."

"Wait, no. Absolutely not," Erina was quick to speak, causing Soma to look towards her.

"Why do I feel that that "not" is referring to me?" he asked half-heartedly, since he had begun to expect certain reactions from her, such as this.

"Because it is, now shut up," she spoke before she turned towards both her grandfather and Akira. "Now listen hear, both of you. I don't know what dumb idea crossed both your minds, but I will not allow myself to be compromised this way. You want to challenge me Hayama, fine, but don't go hiding behind Kurokiba and most certainly don't try to sabotage my work with an idiot like Yukihira."

"Hey! Stop throwing insults my way!"

"Furthermore," she continued, ignoring Soma. "Grandfather. I am ashamed."

Everyone gasped.

"My dear, your-"

"No! You listen. I don't care how much you think Yukihira is God knows what in your eyes, but he can't possibly even boil water in the way I would need it to be done."

"Seriously, I'm right next to you. Everyone's looking at me like-"

"This is a clear intent to sabotage my cooking, in order for that so-called champion to have a fighting chance against me," she carried on, still ignoring him. "If I need an assistant, I have Hisako. If you wish to use Kurokiba or even Yukihira for God knows what reason, do as you wish, but you cannot force me to work with him," she shouted the last part at Akira, before turning to her grandfather. "Or you, for that matter."

"Grandpa just got burned."

"Alice, be serious," Ryou looked on, waiting. He knew Akira wasn't dumb enough to plan this if he didn't have some way to either convince or fool Erina into going along with it. But, was this really an attempt at sabotage?

"You misinterpret me yet again, Erina Nakiri," Akira spoke softly before coming down from the scaffold and onto the public, heading towards Erina. "If you haven't forgotten, I fought against and defeated all those you mentioned. Yukihira, Kurokiba and even Hisako. I know their level. I know their skill," he continued to speak through the wireless microphone, taking simple steps until he was mere feet away from Erina and the others. "With Hisako as your sole aide, you will lose to me."

"Getting a bit too cocky here…"

"Great," Hisako muttered, trying to reach Erina through the endless crowd of people. "Now they're dissing me!"

Before she got there however, Akira spoke up. "It is your choice, but I am offering you the best of the first years to aide you in our clash. I spoke with your grandfather and we came up with the idea. The theme will be a restaurant opening; an abridged full course meal of a random type. We will play head chefs with Tootsuki's VIPs as our guests and judges," Akira pointed towards Senzaemon, while adding: "While the theme will be chosen during the week, it was his approval that I'd give Yukihira to you that made this all possible."

"I cannot work with him."

"Is that a surrender?"

"It's a refusal. Come back with a fair challenge and I'll crush you like the pathetic trash you are," as she spoke she heard her grandfather clear his throat, which caused everyone to turn back to the elder man.

"Now, now, you two, take it easy. A chef cannot let himself or herself lose professionalism like this. Akira, despite all that I'm allowing, remember just who it is you're talking to and challenging. Do not confuse that before I am the Director here, I am a grandfather."

"My apologies," Akira gave a soft bow, without any hint of sarcasm. "I meant no offense."

"I never said you did, but just keep that in mind. And Erina," he continued while turning to her, receiving an annoyed "what?" in response. "The reason I allowed him to challenge you this way was not to obstruct you in anyway, but to present you with a real life challenge that I believe would truly benefit you in the long run."

"Sabotaging me?"

"By far. Soma Yukihira, whether you wish to admit it or not, is still the second best in terms of performance in this year's Autumn Festival. His skills and resourcefulness have impressed many of us here, and while admittedly he may be a bit of a goofball at times," he spoke the last part with a smile, causing Soma to smile back. "His skills in the kitchen are second-to-none. He would be a great asset to you."

"That's all charming grandfather, really, but I do not see it that way," Erina spoke, narrowing her eyes. "To me it is still a dirty trick to attempt to take my place in the Elite Ten without fighting me at my fullest. I know the rules well; I'm neither a transfer nor a foreign student."

Both Soma and Akira understood what she meant by that.

"To challenge an Elite Ten member," she began, taking a long deep breath. "You have to partake in a multi-layered Shokugeki, best two-out-of-three duels. Each of the three duels are divided by "Appetizer", "Main Course" and "Desert" respectively; all three of them following a restaurant theme chosen before the first round. They would have to be served to a finite number of guests, our "clients" so to speak, who will be the actual judges to the event. An odd number of tables, each picking a dish they prefer. First student to win two rounds wins the Shokugeki. Considering the sheer amount you have to make, it is obvious that you would need assistance, like an actual restaurant. Aside from the personal aide or assistant chef, you would need a good four or five other people working in order to satisfy the conditions. I get all that, but," she stopped, signaling Soma. "Where does he come in?"

"In what I just said Erina," her grandfather's voice was soft, paternal. Before she could ask, he answered: "In real life, you'll sometimes end up with employees you don't like and can't simply fire."

"What? If they don't work I can of course-"

"If they don't work, yes, you can. If they breach the contract or cause you to fail in any way then yes, you can fire them without sparing them a second thought," he smiled as he said so, most of the audience finding it a bit creepy. "Even more so, you normally give employees a few months of probation in order to ensure that they satisfy the needs of the position you've given them. But, what happens when you have an employee who you dislike, whose work methods go against what you do or how you work and whose style completely goes against your own. Who is your polar opposite, but despite this or perhaps because of this, is good at what he does. He is never tardy or absent, he works hard, his cooking is unorthodox but not in any way bad, he accomplishes all of the goals established by the company, and even when he makes mistakes, he is able to correct them or take correct disciplinary action against it. According to the law of many countries, you can't fire someone without a reason. So," he stopped, taking a breath after the mini speech. "What reasons have you for firing Soma Yukihira?"

Erina Nakiri wanted to scream. She needed to stop this, she knew her grandfather. She knew that look he got in his eyes when he stubbornly believed he was right about something and he was just doing his part as a loving grandfather and teaching her about the world. She was no longer a baby; she did not have to take this. "Yukihira has," she just needed to say something; anything at all.

Then it clicked, he was a pervert, he sexually harassed her, shoving something hot into her mouth. It sounded dirty but it could, no, would work. You can fire someone with sexual harassment. It was all she needed to at least cast enough doubt on anyone present to forbid him for being near her and, quite possibly, expelling him if he tried anything. She could get out of this, she could.

As she smiled and turned to him, she saw him for what could be referred to as the first time. He wasn't grinning or leering at her, he was waiting her response. He looked… nervous even. This boy had lost the festival just a few hours ago; and in that moment, she saw what his eyes were saying.

"_I can fight Akira Hayama again."_

He wasn't nervous. He was anxious. He wanted to work with her to take down the guy that had taken him down. He wanted revenge, sweet revenge.

A dish best served cold.

"…done nothing which could get him fired. Attitude and flaws aside, he is a decent enough chef, for someone of his caliber at least," she signed; she was growing too soft. Still, the cocky grin that Akira sported after she had refused the Shokugeki bothered her intensively. With or without Yukihira, she could beat him with plastic knives.

"Sheesh, Nakiri. Can't even get one compliment from you without it being turned into an insult in the same sentence?" Yukihira was grinning now, which somehow irked her more than Akira's.

"Don't speak to me," without awaiting any response or reaction, she turned to Akira. "You're on Hayama. Tomorrow morning we'll speak and set up the details. I just need tonight to think about just what it is I'm going to get out of you."

As everyone tried their best to remain silent, Senzaemon shocked most of the spectators by bursting out with a loud laugh. Even Erina and Akira were surprised by the sudden burst, one which Alice was quick to follow. Even Soma chuckled a bit, although more out of confusion than anything else.

"Ah… This'll be good. One thing comes to an end and another begins, such is the life of a chef," Senzaemon spoke, still with a wide smile. "Tomorrow the next big thing starts, but for now, let us enjoy this celebration. DJs, music!"

A loud boom was heard followed by a mix of electronic music, and while Hisako was quick to reach Erina and lead her away, Soma couldn't help but stare. It was there it dawned to him that he was going to be working with her.

Working _for_ her.

"…I really have horrible luck."

-0-

The next morning Soma found himself to have had experienced what some might refer to as a lousy night. Not that he was a stranger to experiencing distress or eustress on certain situations, such as a night before an important match for the former or the night before Christmas for the latter; but this time he had trouble sleeping without knowing exactly why.

He didn't feel nervous or excited. Heck, when he had gone to bed after all the excitement subsided from the party and Akira's and Erina's back and forth challenge; he had felt pretty tired. Yet, he hardy slept. Too tired to sleep?

As he was forcing his body to get up from his bed, since he needed to drink something, use the toilet and stretch; not in that order and hopefully not simultaneously, he heard a loud continuous knock on the front door of the dorms.

Deciding stretching was the most doable of the things he needed right now, Soma walked down the stairs and reached the front door as he stretched his protesting muscles into submission; while ignoring his protesting stomach and bladder. Opening the door he was met by a face he had probably been expecting anyway.

"Soma! It's so good to see you! Really is! I mean, do you always answer the door on the dorm? Working part-time as a doorman? Oh, wait, those aren't the questions I should be asking, really… it should be more akin to the whole Akira versus Erina debate. I-I ordered it Akira first since it is alphabetically corrects, or should it be Erina versus Akira since she's the bigger name of the two? Then again, he is the one challenging her, so…"

Trying to understand half of what the kid was saying was hard enough, especially at the speeds he was going. "Settle down kiddo, isn't it too early for the newspaper club resident Lois Lane to be bugging people?"

"I fancy myself an early bird, of sorts. So… Soma Yukihira reads Superman?"

"Stop turning everything into gossip. Besides, what do you want Mitsuru? Shouldn't you be bothering Hayama or Nakiri for info? Why are you here?"

"Well…" Ace reporter Mitsuru Soutsuda pondered for a bit, before deciding the truth would probably be better than making something up. "I tried to, but Akira's been gone from his dorm for a while and no one has seen him since at around 4:56 am when he went to a vending machine and ordered a can of iced coffee…"

'This kid's scarier than Mimasaka,' was a thought that crossed Soma's mind, admittedly it was not the first time it did. Young Mitsuru had a talent for scooping info out of people without their knowing. "And as for Ms. Erina, she, well, I couldn't get through."

"Her security? Just call her cousin like we did last time."

"No, everyone's there. All the other reporters, even those from the High School division," he spoke with a downed gaze, sighing. "She's not sparing anyone even a few seconds of her time. Ms. Hisako is the only one of the students with her as she's preparing what appear to be the conditions for her duel against Akira. Today's big scoop is going to be finding out what that is."

"I'm not taking you to see her."

"What? No! I know that," he spoke up, edging closer to Soma with an eager and serious look in his eyes. "The scoop I want right now is yours. Can I interview you?... Again?"

"No," Soma shut the door between them, leaving Mitsuru all eager eyes and all facing the door.

"Again?" The sense of déjà vu being strong.

-0-

"This works."

Hisako Arato turned to face Erina as the latter spoke up. A few sheets of paper, which Hisako had just printed out of the internet a few minutes ago, were currently being held and observed by the ice queen of Tootsuki. It took Hisako only a few moments to remember what information was written there.

"Those are his personal inventory, right?" asked Erina's secretary. Erina gave her a nod and smiled.

"That fool. I may get some good stuff after all," Erina spoke up setting the papers aside. It was then she realized how messy her room had gotten with both girls digging up anything they could find of worth out of Akira Hayama. The ice queen's room, normally a quarters fit for a princess of an industrial and rich family, currently looked like a tornado had blown. Not that it bothered her much; she never did do the cleaning.

"Milady, are you certain about this? I've got nothing against Yukihira in the professional sense per say, but as an individual…"

"I understand you far too well, but unfortunately my grandfather can be a stubborn man. Besides," she took a look towards her window, giving the outsides a gaze. "With all the media hounds already rattled; my reputation could take a minor blow if I back down now. And don't you forget, Hayama cannot prohibit me from using you as well."

"If you say it like that…"

Erina gave a soft laugh. It was nice to see Hisako fluster like she used to, not all stiff and serious like she became after she lost to Akira. Maybe part of the reason for her eagerness to accept and her overlooking certain details, notably Yukihira's participation, was in part due to wanting to get some revenge of what Akira did to Hisako at the Festival. Best served cold.

"I'd never use you, you're far too important for me," Erina simply looked on as Hisako turned a bit red and looked away. Praising this girl always made her blush. She found that too cute. Before she could see if she could make her turn fifty different shades of red Hisako spoke up. "Changing the subject," the girl in question spoke. "Just how are you planning to deal with the media?"

"I'm not really overly concerned with-"

The interruption was caused by her door swinging open, causing both girls to jump slightly. For a moment, Erina thought she had called this upon herself upon dismissing the media; half expecting a crew of paparazzi barging in with camera flashing and microphone shoving. But it wasn't that.

Instead, she got something worse.

"Erina!" a gleeful Alice popped herself into the room, twirling around in mock happiness as she edged closer to a stiffening Erina. "Oh, and Hishoko too. Ladies, you won't believe the amount of people out there wanting to hear from you."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't barge in here Alice; and I'm not worried about the- Hey! Get out of my room Kurokiba!" Upon noticing Alice "lackey" entering behind Alice, Erina flushed and stood up. Hisako was too busy trying to correct Alice on her name to mind the intruding boy much.

"Why?"

"This is a lady' room, you can't just barge in here."

"Relax cousin of mine, he's with me."

"And neither can you! I'm busy. We're busy."

"And that's why we came. I wanted to see if you needed anything for your upcoming thing with Akira. And Ryou here is going to participate, so get used to him," Alice spoke up, signaling the boy. "Besides, he's been in here before."

"Not in my room."

"Oh, he's harmless," as she spoke, she patted Kurokiba on the head, ignoring his "stop it" complaints. As she did so, she continued. "I would know. We've taken baths together. Isn't that right. Oh yes it is, oh yes it is."

"Stop treating him like a dog, and I don't care what you two have done, you've always been shameless like that!" Erina turned to hide a blush, which only Hisako noted. As far as she could remember, Erina had always been a bit bashful when it came to the opposite sex.

"Shameless? We were kids. I was flat as a board and this guy here measured a good two inches at best," both girls blushed intensively at Alice, while the one who should blush apparently ignored her. Erina was starting to envy that ability of his. "Besides Erina, you should really start considering getting yourself a boyfriend," Alice made a few gestures with her hands which no one in the room understood, most assumed it was a misshaped heart, before continuing. "You've always been shy around men, starting with that cook who worked here for a bit-"

"Alice! Enough. You've got my attention. What do you want?" Erina rather avoid letting Alice continue once she got wound up like that.

"Just wanted to make sure you had something on good old Akira Hayama. Unless you make him your personal Chippendale dancer, I'm not sure you know what to ask of him," Alice smiled as she spoke, causing Erina to narrow her eyes. Sometimes Alice irritated her almost as much as Yukihira. Almost.

"We," signaling herself and Hisako. "Already got that covered. So, if you don't mind," Erina walked passed Alice and headed outside her room. "Come here for a second."

Alice did as told and cocked her head to the side when she reached Erina, mouthing a 'what's up' as Erina crossed her arms across her chest. "What do you really want, Alice?"

"I didn't lie. I'm not going to sell you to the media or anything."

"I know. But I also know that you are fully aware that Kurokiba is involved."

"So?"

"So," Erina mocked Alice's tone, causing the younger cousin to let out a soft giggle. "You wouldn't by any chance want to, I don't know," Erina smiled in return. "Help Akira?"

Alice's smile could not be read.

"I'd never."

"I would hope," Erina turned to face one of the windows which adorned the mansion's many hallways. Looking outside, she could see how the eagle-eyed "paparazzi" quickly noted some movement in the building and began searching in that general directions. Part of her would admit she loved the attention. "I mean it's not like," she turned back to Alice. "You would have a, heaven forbid, personal grudge against Yukihira or me for that matter."

"Fat ego as always," Alice spoke cheerfully, stepping closer to her cold cousin. "I'm not as stubborn as you are; I mean, I am stubborn, just not at your level. I may have lost to Soma, but I don't need to hide behind Ryou and much less behind Akira to get back at him. I can remedy that myself. As for Ryou," she turned to face the door leading to Erina's room, where both Kurokiba and Hisako had remained in polite silence. Or eavesdropping. Could be either. "He's the one you should look out for, not little old me."

"Best hope that's true."

"Stop threatening me, Erina, meanie. I really did come-Hey, wait. If you're dealing with all this, shouldn't Soma be here? I mean, Akira texted Ryou half an hour ago to meet up with him for the meeting with grandpa."

"Him? Why should he… Wait, Hayama texted Kurokiba?"

"Yeah, he should be with Akira already but I was just bugging him not to go so soon since I'm bored, you know," she edged closer to Erina as she spoke, whispering. "When you've just met you have to make yourself seem difficult or else the other party may lose interest."

"…"

-0-

"Could you get out of my room?" spoke an increasingly irritated Zenji Marui, staring intently at Soma who was currently seated at the floor in the middle of his room. His voice made it evident that is was more of a command than a question, but Soma paid him no mind. He was learning from the rest of the group that if you needed somewhere to be at the dorms and didn't want to be in your room, then Zenji's was the place to go.

"Just a sec Marui. Just look at this one, what do you think?" Soma asked as he lifted a tool into the air, examining it.

"It's a potato peeler."

"I can see that, what I mean is where is it from? Seems like it belonged to some Hatsune Ryuuga…"

As Soma continued his examination, Zenji decided it would be best to help if he hoped to be able to get some time to himself. "Give it here," he spoke up, another command as he simply stood up and took it from Soma's hands. Soma merely followed Zenji with his gaze as the bespectacled boy with his gaze. Zenji took a seat in front of his laptop, booted it up, and in moments he was surfing the web.

"You're really got with technology Marui, mine takes hours to load."

"That's probably because you've saved too much bytes of information on it, probably have a handful of programs which start up automatically when the computer boots up," as he spoke, he began to type. Soma merely looked on and smiled.

"And you're really smart too. With a little practice, you'll be deadly in the next competition, whenever that is…"

"True." As Zenji spoke, he pushed his glasses back onto position by the frame on the bridge, giving him a cleared view of the screen. He had picked up that habit thanks to watching too many an anime with "cool" characters with glasses, be they villainous medical ninjas or heroic energy archers. "Joaquin Rodriguez."

"…Ah, are you writing a story?"

"No, I mean this is the guy you're looking for. Joaquin Rodriguez, Cuban descent. Family moved from Cuba to the United States, Arizona to be exact. Excelled in food decorations and styles. Currently working as an assistant chef at a Cheesecake Factory back at his state," as Zenji spoke, Soma just nodded. He hoped that his silence would indicate Zenji that he wasn't really following him. All he actually got was that he wanted to go make a cheesecake and decorate it in the shape of Cuba.

"Ahh…" Soma interrupted, hoping to get his point through. "Marui, what does-?"

"Hatsune Ryuuga is Joaquin Rodriguez. Most transfer students change their name when they come to Japan. Just like Akira did," as Zenji said this, he could see Soma's eyes widen. This caused Zenji to smile. For such a brilliant and capable chef, Soma could be clueless on a lot of things, many of them basic for someone who actually lives in Japan.

"Cool! What's Akira's real name. He looks Indian, so… I don't really know any Indian names, and if I start guessing they could probably sound racist so I won't, so… Cuba, cool. That's a cold place, right?"

"Wrong," Zenji sighed, clueless doesn't even describe it. "It's close to Florida of the United States, on the Caribbean Ocean. Tropical weather, doesn't even snow. The food there-"

"Moro y cristianos, usually with shredded meat on the side or "ropa vieja" as they call it, right?"

For a moment, Zenji's eyes widened in turn. Soma knew their dishes. He didn't know their climate, their position, or heck, he didn't even know details about Japan, but he knew about their main dish. One of them at least. "Impressive, that's quite true. Didn't know you knew Spanish."

"I don't, had to look it up. Did you know ropa vieja means old clothes, that's a weird name for food, don't you think?" he said this with a smile, which caused Zenji to understand him more. Soma was the type of guy who could be a genius, but only if he liked what he had to study. He read about different things from around the world, but all of it leads back to the kitchen. A chef without a border. A potential without a limit.

"Yeah, it's a cultural thing I suppose. They probably think the same about our sushi."

"Probably…" Soma stood up and went next to Zenji, looking at the screen. "So… Rodriguez. How am I gonna get your potato peeler back to you? Marui?"

"I could find you the address," he thought out loud. "Or, I could get you some contact information."

"That'd work."

"What are you boys doing in here?" came a voice from the doorway. Standing there was Ryoko Sakaki, leaning against the frame. She eyed Zenji, then Soma, then back at Zenji. "If you guys are doing something fun, I want in. I'm getting bored here and Yuuki is out feeding her animals and most of the guys went out. I haven't seen Megumi either, so…" she trailed off. "What are you guys up to?"

"Potato peelers."

"That sounds weird Yukihira," Zenji added, before continuing. "Just trying to be the Good Samaritan and return all these cooking utensils Yukihira here won back from Mimasaka. I think were about 80% complete."

"Cool," as she spoke, she walked in and took a seat on Zenji's bed. Zenji realized his alone time would not come, as Soma turned to face her.

"Sakaki, you said everyone's out?"

"Yeah, not too long ago it seems," she spoke, leaning back against the bed until she was laying down on it. "I heard Shun in his room not thirty minutes ago."

"That's-"

"Here," Zenji interrupted Soma, handing him a piece of paper. As Soma took it and gave it a look, he found all of Rodriguez's contact information on it, including a picture (probably a copy of the Tootsuki ID photograph) and even his grades before he left.

"Dude!"

"What?"

"You have a printer here?"

"…Isshiki has a garden and Yoshino has a farm; and you're surprised I have a printer. This is a school you know."

"Oh, right," Soma stated, obviously. Sometimes, with all the competitions and seriousness of the cooking, he forgot that not all classes were about dishes, or culinary tactics. History, Math, Japanese, English and even some Physical Education were given at Tootsuki. For all his expertise and epicness at the kitchen, Soma could just barely pass as an average student on these other classes. Hope graduation doesn't depend too much on them. Why does a chef need to know what happened in World War II anyways?

"So Soma, you're trying to get everything back to their respective owners. Did Takumi take his back already?" Ryoko asked, receiving a quickly shook head in response with Soma mouthing a 'stubborn idiot'. Before she could ask she heard Zenji speak up, but not to them.

"Hello?"

"Yukihira, come to the Headmaster's office at 11:15 sharp, we're holding a meeting which your presence is required," as the voice in the phone spoke, Zenji realized three things. One, it wasn't for him. Two, it was Erina Nakiri calling. And three, it was still his phone she was calling.

"Uhh… Ma'am, you've got the wrong number, I'm not Yukihira."

"Huh? Isn't this…"

"Hello!" Soma intercepted having taken Zenji's phone out of his hands at the moment he heard his name. Zenji was too taken aback to protest and Ryoko was just staring. "And who might this be?"

"…Yukihira."

"Ah, Nakiri. What's up?"

"…You have a secretary now?"

"Sure do, ain't that cool? He's a better secretary than Hishoko huh?" he said this with a grin, as he could hear Erina sigh from the other line. Sometimes this girl was just too serious.

"Then ask your "secretary" to relay the information I just gave him. Don't be late."

"Huh? What information?"

Too late. By the time he had gotten to "Huh?", Erina had already hung up, leaving a very confused Soma turning to face Zenji. "Eh… Marui, could you tell me what she said?"

He would have wanted to tell him that he was not a secretary. Tell him not to use his phone and to give his number away. Heck, ask him how he got his number in the first place, but the thought of having his room to himself turned out to be too strong to resist.

"Meet her at the Headmaster's office. Now," he lied. It was only 9:55; Soma still had time. Zenji had no intention to let him know that.

"Now! Damn that Nakiri, can't she call on time," as he spoke he ran out the room, having grabbed the printed sheets and the potato peeler and dashed as fast as he could while a 'thanks' could be hear from across the hallway.

Zenji then turned to his other guest.

"Sakaki, don't you have a class at 10:30?" he asked faking ignorance. He knew her schedule well; he knew all of their schedules.

"Yeah," she spoke up, shutting her eyes. "But I'm not going; it's my lovely time a month so I asked a classmate to copy for me. She told me not to worry, besides, it's just math. I'll just ask you to explain it all anyways."

As she cheerfully spoke, Zenji wondered if she closed her eyes on purpose to avoid seeing him turn a very dark shade of red at her openness to discuss certain topics so offhandedly. Apparently, she didn't notice or care since at the moment she opened her eyes and looked at him all she asked was: "So, what do you want to do?"

Getting asked this by a girl on his bed could be misinterpreted in so many ways…

-0-

It occurred to Soma at that instant that he had never actually gone to the Headmaster's office; he didn't even know where it was! He decided to look around and ask anyone who resembled a teacher, assistant or just a smart person; but somehow ended up arriving at the janitorial headquarters, again, and having to ask for directions. The clerk took out his large pointer and signaled where he should go.

After walking, jogging, and then running towards the destination, Soma arrived at 11:11 at the ever elusive office which had a rather big sign above it that read "HEADMASTER", with multiple signs along the way having arrows and notices. He felt stupid.

Worse, Erina was standing outside the office.

Arms crossed across her chest, one hand holding a rather expensive phone as she seemed to be reading something on it. For a moment, he felt he had seen a ghost.

"About time," was all she said.

"Seriously, I'm sorry. You wouldn't believe how lost I got, because I can't believe how lost I got. I took a turn here, and there, and I warped about thirty miles away. That's the only explanation I can give," he spoke as he took a few breathes. He was sweating and he was thirsty. She just cocked an eyebrow.

"While getting fifteen minutes before a meeting is proper etiquette, grandfather is a bit of a slouch when it comes to being punctual," Erina spoke up, eyes still glued to her flickering screen. "He'll be here shortly. Meeting starts in two minutes; you're not late."

"Two minutes…" he just mouthed off the words, realizing Zenji Marui had gotten one over him.

An eerie silence befell the two, as the seconds seemed to take longer than usual while Erina played or read or texted or did whatever she was doing on her phone and Soma just stared at her, then the wall, then a portrait of the old man, then her again, then his shoes, then back to the old man's portrait, then her again, then the floor.

"Stop staring."

"Actually, my eyes are dead set on the floor. Interesting design by the way," as he spoke, she didn't say anything more or even move. Every time he interacted with her, if it could be called that, he learned that she was the person he had the most difficulty dealing with. Furthermore, he had no trouble voicing it. "Same as always huh?" he started, she paid no attention. "You're so hard to relate to you know? Always so serious and stubborn; it's going to be hard to win against Hayama with you as my boss…"

Saying the word 'boss' gave him the chills. Boss, boss, boss… Erina Nakiri was his boss.

"Anyway," he continued, trying to get that image out of his head. The one with her sitting on a desk firing him for breathing too loudly. "Even a normal Shokugeki with you as my partner would be too much. If you were more like Tadokoro then maybe we could work some-"

"Don't compare me to another girl."

He blinked. Twice. She had just said it so suddenly and seriously that; while she had not actually said it loud enough to interrupt him, it had caused him to immediately stop. For some reason, it actually irked him a bit. "I'm not comparing you Nakiri; besides, Tadokoro is one of the nicest people you could ever meet, it's far from an insult."

"Megumi Tadokoro," she worded it softly, placing her phone back in her pocket. "Kozuyu Chicken Soy Sauce Ramen. Even managed to move to crowd and received a standing ovation. Her only personality flaw is her actual acceptance of your company."

"If you actually see that, then why-?"

"I am Erina Nakiri. There is no one else like me, do not compare me, to anyone," she spoke as serious as Soma had ever heard her, and in her eyes he saw a very strong determination. As if daring him to state otherwise.

"I…" he spoke; without thinking, since it all came flowing out, "there's no other girl like you."

They both stared.

Erina allowing the words to sink in and Soma realizing what he said. Erina understood what he meant, but the way he phrased it mixed with the way he spoke it sounded too much like the stories she read. Too much like he shouldn't say it. Soma, on the other hand, felt he had said the most foolish thing. The way he had it in his head, and the way it had come out of his mouth were not the same.

"That… sounded weird," he spoke with a soft laugh, trying to see if he could pass it off. Erina, however, just stared. Her eyes betrayed nothing. She wasn't flustered, angry, laughing (he's never seen her laugh, the jolliest he's seen her was when he lost, go figure) or even confused. She was just looking at him. Now _he_ felt weird.

"Sorry for my lateness everyone," Senzaemon Nakiri's voice interrupted the silence, causing Soma to turn to the old man. Behind him were both Akira Hayama and Ryou Kurokiba; the former with all the seriousness of a serial puppy kicker and the latter with the most 'I don't want to be here' look a guy could give. "So, if you all don't mind, we have some terms and conditions to discuss and some paperwork to fill out. If you please."

As the old man spoke a representative of his, a young man with a pencil moustache whose color did not match his hair, held the door open for them. Senzaemon motioned for the students to enter his office, which Akira quickly did, passing by without sparing Soma a glance. Ryou followed, dragging his feet across the floor.

"Guess this is it," Soma spoke as he turned to face Erina, only to be met by her eyes directly. Intently.

"N-Nakiri?"

Erina looked at him for another moment, before turning and entering the Headmaster's office without a further word, leaving a very confused and weirded out Soma standing alone just outside the office.

* * *

%


	3. Our Theme

**Rating: **T

**Pairings: **Soma/Erina

**Notes:**

Thanks all for all the encouragement and positive response that these previous two (2) chapters have received. While I know the Shokugeki no Soma (Souma?) fanfiction archive is, for the lack of a better word, lacking in both stories and general interest; I certain that once our cooking manga gets an anime, more stories will find their way here. Until then, we are the pioneer writers and readers of this manga; so let's make the most of it!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

* * *

"N-Nakiri?" was all Soma could voice before the princess of Tootsuki eyed him briefly before walking right passed him and into the Headmaster's office without a further word. He was left very confused and weirded out by her sudden reaction, or lack of a reaction. At this, Soma found himself standing alone just outside the office, while everybody else was already making themselves comfortable inside. Shaking his head after deciding that now was not the time for him to start becoming socially awkward, Soma turned and walked into the Headmaster's office, leaving only the faint sound of the door closing out on the hallway.

Taking a few steps inside, Soma realized just how big, or more properly, spacious this man's office was. The desk was at the direct center, with big windows adorning the back giving a glimpse to Tootsuki as a whole from here, while directly in front of the desk were currently four chairs; three of which were currently occupied. Mounted on the walls were a variety of things, from family portraits and golden awards to stuffed animal corpses and hunting rifles. It impressed Soma how one side of the room directly contradicted the other.

"Oh, that reminds me," Senzaemon spoke up, eyeing Soma directly. "This is your first time coming in here. Normally I take my time to explain all of these memories I've mounted on the wall, but since we are in a bit of a rush, since our companions here have a lot of paperwork to do for today…" he motioned to the two men accompanying him as he spoke. "I may have to give you said reminiscences on a later date."

"Sure," Soma nodded as he took a seat, next to a crossed arm Erina. "You hunted old man?"

"That I did," he spoke, nodding also. "In fact, you see that rifle there. It was the first I had, handed down to me from my dear old papa back in the day. He said: "Son, I'm going to give you this but don't do like your cousin Shirou did and shoot-"

"Paperwork, grandfather."

"Oh… right," he spoke with a blush, avoiding eye contact with his two employees. "Another time. Now then, to all of us gathered here. Have we managed to come to an agreement?"

The four present looked at him for a moment, as did Senzaemon at them. From his left to right, he could see how each seemed to be at the moment. At the furthest left was Ryou Kurokiba. He looked impatient and bored, slouching on the chair while keeping his eyes focused on Senzaemon. Out of everyone, he had yet to utter a single word. Next to him was Akira. He was calm, as per usual; sitting straight with one leg crossed over the other. His eyes were also focused on Senzaemon, just not as intensely. Next came his dear granddaughter. She was sitting as refined as she would always be; arms crossed and legs properly crossed, also eyeing her grandfather. Last came Soma, who looked nervous and was having a hard time staying still, all the while looking at every inch of the office like a child looking at a circus.

"I'm not nervous," Soma's voice caught Senzaemon off-guard. "It's just so cold here. I kind of now realize why everyone brought a jacket with them, but it's my first time here, so… I'm kinda freezing here."

Senzaemon just smiled, before turning to one of the two standing next to him. "Please, lower the air a bit, don't want Yukihira to freeze here." As the man did as told, earning himself a "Thanks" from Soma, Senzaemon continued. "You all seemed so lively yesterday; had you not come up with anything?"

"It's not my place to say," Akira was the first to speak. "After all, my intentions are clear. All that remains is for Erina to agree and to state her terms."

"My _terms_ are as follow," Erina followed. "If I win, I want your recipe book."

Akira's eyes widened slightly, as he turned to face Erina. She was just smirking as she took her sweet time to turn to face him. "Deal?"

"How on Earth did you find that out?"

"I am, after all, the expectant heir to Tootsuki itself," she was just on an ego-trip now; as Soma had learned to just allow her to say what she wanted and to avoid interrupting her. "Nothing goes on in here without my knowing it. I know you have a little book filled with every single recipe you cook or plan to cook. Every ingredient, style and instrument you use is there, along with little bits of trivia like place of origin, different methods of cooking and even cultural aspects behind the dishes. It's like your own personal encyclopedia behind everything you make. A rather nice addition to my library."

"You have a diary Akira?"

"It's not a diary," Akira didn't even bother to look at Soma. Instead, he was focusing on Erina, apparently trying to see something behind her expression. "That book is all my life as a cook condensed into its pages. Giving you it would be like losing what defines my cooking."

"Scared?"

"On the contrary. Exited would be a better word," Akira was smiling, much to Erina's surprise. "For a moment I thought that I wouldn't have something to offer you which amounted to your seat on the Top Ten, but, if my book is what you want; I believe it is a fair trade. Besides, now I have something to fight to _keep_ as well as to fight to _take_."

"Then we are in agreement?"

"I would suppose so."

"Do note," Erina lowered herself, inching a bit closer to Akira. "That if you do any alterations to that book if you lose, you're going against what Tootsuki stands for."

"I'd never," his voice became much drier. "Don't ever take me for a man that does not keep his word. Before our matches start, I'll show the Headmaster my book, allow him to inspect it, and if you win and I give it to you; you can have him clarify that its contents have not been in any way altered."

"Fair enough," Erina smiled as she clapped her hand. "Then it's a deal. Can I go now?"

"Wait Erina, not just yet," her grandfather held out his hand to stop her from getting up, while he turned to Akira. "I will verify your book, but I will in no way read its contents. It is yours and filled with your life's work. After all, I trust the integrity of all those present in this office to the fullest. You are amongst Tootsuki's best and brightest; so I know you are all above some petty tricks. With that said, let's state the terms. My good men," he turned towards the other two. "Best get your pens ready."

The two nodded as they took out their utensils, while Senzaemon waited until their signal to start. "Erina Nakiri, you henceforth agree to participate in this Shokugeki with your seat amongst the Elite Ten as the prize your willing to risk?"

"Yes."

"And you Akira Hayama, you henceforth agree to participate in this Shokugeki with your recipe book as the price your willing to risk?"

"I am."

"Good, then by the power vested in me by the Tootsuki Academy, I hereby in no way sounding like a marriage declaration, accept your terms and agree to this confrontation. Ryou Kurokiba and Soma Yukihira; are you both clear on your participation on this?"

"Yeah, we sort of agreed to this with our matches against Hayama, right?" Kurokiba was still leaning back, eyeing Senzaemon. He received a nod in response before the older man turned to Soma.

"What he said."

"Good, then… you're in as well. Now then, let's select the themes," his voice shifted to a very happy tone, causing Soma some confinement.

"Eh… Old man, you sort of took all the seriousness out of this, you know?"

"Could you stay quiet?"

"Well, all seriousness expect for yours."

"Damn it, if you can't even follow instructions here, I'm-"

"You two are adorable," Senzaemon's words caused both youngsters to look at him, Erina with a glare and Soma with a bemused look. "But, as for what you noticed Soma, yes, it doesn't need to be all serious. The Champion of the Festivals going against an Elite Ten member, my granddaughter no less; with two finalists involved, it's going to bring major ratings for this place. I find it exiting."

"Ratings?" Soma asked, turning his head.

"That's correct," Senzaemon said with a proud look. "Or did you consider this to be a normal match-up? Goodness, this isn't even a normal Shokugeki, no Soma, this is something bigger. The matches will be held with an audience most first years never even see. When one of the Elite Ten are challenged, especially by such an-"

"It's a televised event."

"Oh, cool!"

"Erina, why do you feel the need to ruin my reveals?" he eyed his granddaughter with a sad expression, earning himself only a scoff in return.

"It's not something new. We have our own channel. So we obviously televise this sort of things. Hence why you said "ratings". The only big deal is that the use of the channel is usually preserved for third-years, hence why we may get more attention," after she finished her explanation, which probably everyone in the office knew except for Soma, she then turned back to her grandfather. "Just tell me my theme. I have class in twenty minutes."

"…Ever the strict young lady. Alright, let's get to it then," he spoke as he motioned to one of the men there; the guy who had not turned down the air conditioning. Said man stood up, walked into the storage closet, and came out with a box. He gave the box to Senzaemon, and as the employee sat back down, Senzaemon placed the box on his desk in front of both Erina and Akira. "Here are your themes. Inside are twenty different restaurant themes for you to choose from, you randomly pick one, and we're done for today."

As both Erina and Akira moved towards the box, Senzaemon added. "Be warned, you cannot change what you get afterwards. Also, themes based on Japanese cuisine or Indian cuisine are not in here, lest they give either you an unfair advantage over the other."

Both parties nodded, as they eyed each other. Akira took a step back, giving Erina room. "Go ahead, ladies first."

"Well thank you."

As Erina stood in front of the box, she placed her hand inside. She could feel all the folded up sheets of paper, each of them the exact same size, as to not give away their inscription. If her touch were to be as good as her taste; maybe she could pick out the best one of them. She knew about many styles of cooking from around the worlds, but what if she got one from a place she didn't know much. She knew many American meals, and she was well versed with African cuisine. Maybe if she got something from the Philippians it would work out well, but if not.

"Pick something already," Kurokiba barked, getting impatient. He had a class soon as well.

"Stay on your leash," she barked back as she sighed, picked a random slip and pulled it out. Akira then stood next to her, took one piece, and got it out. Soma stared as the both opened the papers they got, and while their expressions didn't differ much, they both looked… underwhelmed.

"So…?" Soma asked, hoping to get something. He tried to peak at the papers, but he couldn't make out the words.

"Mexican Cuisine," Akira announced, causing Senzaemon to nod as his employees took note. Kurokiba smiled at the announcement, while Soma was staring holes at Erina. The glare she gave allowed him to know she found it annoying.

"And you Erina?" her grandfather asked, eyebrows raced in anticipation.

"…Chinese-American… Why do I have two?"

Soma blinked, before Senzaemon gave a soft chuckle. "It's not really two, more like a mix between cultures, forming a distinct cuisine. A new flavor born out of the mix between countries, or as the French say, _nouvelle_."

"Nouvelle it is," she placed the piece of paper onto her jacket's pocket; while Soma began to think.

'_Chinese-American? Are those like the restaurants in America that serve Chinese cuisine, or the other way around? They aren't that new, are they?' _as Soma lost himself in thought, Erina stood up. "Good, we're done," she spoke as she turned away. "Grandfather, keep me informed as to when the dates of the matches are selected. I've got to get to class followed by starting to get prepared."

"Of course. A letter detailing everything spoken here will be sent to each of you, alongside a list where you both," he signaled to Erina and Akira. "Ask for who else from the student body you'd like to "hire" as support for this Shokugeki. Until then, just brainstorm ideas and study hard. Before you leave thou, do sign that sheet Unomiya has with him. It just confirms we all came to an agreement."

Erina was the first to sign the paper and in a second, she was gone. Akira also signed, before giving the sheet and pen to Kurokiba, who in turn gave it to Soma when he had sighed. After all for signatures were present, Senzaemon waved good-bye to the boys as they exited the office; as Soma stretched himself. "Man, those conditions are brutally exact."

"It's to be expected, it is an Elite Ten seating."

"Procedures are there for a reason," Akira commented, as both Soma and Ryou turned to him. When he saw them both eyeing him with a puzzled look, he muttered: "What?"

"Never knew you to make small talk," Soma responded, smiling.

"I'm not above the occasional conversation, but," he spoke as he eyed his watch. "We'd have to make do with another time, since I'm late as is. Jun won't like my excuses if I start lowering my other grades now."

"You have something going on with that teacher." Kurokiba mentioned, earning himself a puzzled look from Akira. Soma, not really following, was quick to interrupt.

"That aside, Hayama."

"Yes?"

"I'm not losing to you this time. Better not watch out only for Nakiri…"

"Noted."

As Akira departed, Soma felt his confidence return. He could do this; he could beat him this time. He would study American-Chinese cuisine better than an American or a Chinese citizen, and be able to wow the crowd on the televise event. Next time he met up with Akira, there would be a clear victor.

-0-

"Yukihira, you're paired up with Hayama."

"…Well, this is awkward," spoke Soma as Akira took a seat next to him, both seated on one of the many two-seat desks which made out the Mathematics classroom. After their teacher had assigned the two together, Soma sported a rather embarrassed grin on his features. "Normally Takumi makes these goof-ups, but apparently I'm not immune. Still, for what it's worth Hayama, I suck at math."

"Noted."

-0-

Later that very same day Erina Nakiri found herself finally alone for the afternoon. The news about the upcoming Shokugeki between Akira and herself had already been made public by the officials of Tootsuki, so most of the "reporters" which had been stalking her home had already gotten the information they needed. The remaining ones, which had been trying since early morning to get an interview out of her, had finally given up after realizing they weren't going to get past her security. As it stood, Erina had finally found herself alone at her room, surrounded by the ever desired peace and quiet which she seemed to hardly ever be able to enjoy.

She proceeded to shut the windows, followed by removing all the unnecessary articles of clothing she could currently be without. She should bathe first, but she wanted to just lie for a moment; do nothing for once. She carefully discarded her clothes one by one, until she was left with just a sleeveless t-shirt and her panties (which she proceeded to cover with some shorts; God forbid Alice entering unannounced with Kurokiba again and catching her half-naked). Afterwards, she practically threw herself onto her bed, bouncing slightly until she fell in place.

As she closed her eyes and pondered whether she could allow herself to fall into a mini-coma for a bit, she heard a soft knock on her door. "Go ahead," she spoke up, knowing full well in was Hisako. Alice never knocked.

"Resting?" Hisako asked as she entered her room, closing the door as she did. From just looking at Erina, she could tell her friend was tired.

"Pondering," Erina replied, eyeing Hisako. Before the latter could speak, Erina sat up. "Oh, that reminds me," she clasped her hands together as she spoke. "Hisako, Chinese-American!"

"…What?"

"My theme, for the Shokugeki. A Chinese-America hybrid theme," she explained, causing Hisako to nod at nearly every word.

"Oh… So, sounds simple enough, right?"

"Well, it should be. Chinese cuisine relies heavy on the use of Soy like us, so we have something in common. Several of their dishes have made their way here and vice versa; so it shouldn't be too hard."

"…But American, is that as in Chinese restaurants in America?" Hisako asked Erina, earning herself a nod as response.

"Kind of, it's one way to put it," Erina shifted her view to a globe she had adorning her desk, right next to her computer's monitor. "Chinese-American restaurants are those that bridge both styles of cuisine, but they shouldn't serve as a basis for _my_ work. No, I need to focus on making the best of the best Chinese dishes using American ingredients and cooking methods, that way bridging the gap between countries and creating a true blend between them. Most Chinese-American restaurants just fry rice and call it Chinese. I need to blend in true Chinese dishes, like "kia kou xiao" or "douzhi" or-"

"Or "tong zi dan"?"

"Or "tong z-… No. Just no. No," Erina narrowed her eyes at Hisako, who just chuckled at how each "no" sounded louder than the last. She liked teasing Erina from time to time, since the latter was always so serious when it came to competitions and cooking in general. "Anyway," Erina continued, placing her pillows against her wall to create a seat with them. Resting her back upon her pillow, she continued. "I need to study their culture a bit more, maybe find a few students around here from China and ask around. A few Americans to about how much they know about the Chinese cuisine. Speaking of help, you're in this too, right?"

"Of course, besides, Akira owes me one," Hisako's eyes shifted, a little spark in them. Erina just smiled, feeling a bit glad.

"That's good to hear, since it's better that you just up and dis-"

Her phone rang.

Both girls stared at Erina's phone as a song started to play, with Erina grabbing it and looking at the caller identification. Surprisingly, she didn't have the number saved in her contacts, but it did look familiar. "Who is it?"

"Beats me," Erina answered, swiping the screen with her index finger. "Erina Nakiri speaking."

"Nakiri! Hello! You sure do greet people fancy when you answer your phone."

If Hisako had any doubt left as to who was calling, Erina's face said it all. Only one person alive could make a person as beautiful as Erina (in Hisako's opinion) look so constipated. Not that Hisako was ever going to share that observation with her.

"Yukihira," she practically growled. "Who do you think you are calling me? What do you want?"

"Erm, I'm your partner. My title is "Assistant Chef", I think," his voice was still playful, causing her further grief. "Seriously, we're not going to go back and forth every time we need to talk, right? Hope not. And, hey, since we're buddies now; I wanted to ask on your opinion about this. I was studying up on Chinese-American restaurants and I found quite a few franchises we could take examples from. So, as I'm here making stuff up, I wanted to ask you what type of meat you-"

She removed her phone from her ear. "He doesn't shut up," Erina complained to an amused Hisako. Erina frowned, before pushing the phone in Hisako's direction.

"Wait, what are you…?"

"Shh… Just… talk to him, tell him I went out or something."

"What?" Hisako was trying to be soft-spoken. "Erina, just hang up or something. What do you want me to say?"

"Anything, if I hang up he'll just call again. Tell him anything, you're my secretary."

"…Fine," she spoke, defeated. Hisako took the phone and pressed it against her ear. "H-"

"-a big sausage could-"

She quickly removed the phone. "He's talking about sausages!"

"What!" she shouted as she pressed the phone to her ear. "You pervert, what are you saying?"

"-and some fried-what? Pervert, because I want to fry something? Nakiri, you're weird."

"No," she shouted, clenching the phone. "I'm busy. Don't call me!"

And she hung up.

And she shut the phone off.

Hisako only stared as Erina appeared all flushed and bothered by the event, the ice queen's eyes all narrowed and her expression seeming twice as tired and anguished than when Hisako had entered her room. For whatever reason, Soma Yukihira was bad for Erina Nakiri's health. Hisako would have to make sure to keep the peace if she hoped to help her friend through the upcoming multi-layered Shokugeki. "Milady," she spoke softly, saying it tenderly and playfully. "You'll only have to withstand him for a little while, and I'll be here; it's nothing you can't handle."

"…I hope you're right," Erina muttered, though she smiled when Hisako patted her on the head.

"Come on," Hisako spoke, as she stood up from the bed. "Let's take a bath and play something afterwards. I'm already done with tomorrow's homework, so we could play a while."

"Let's."

-0-

On the other now dead line was a frustrated Soma Yukihira. "S-She, she hung up on me!" he exclaimed, screaming at the phone. "Man, what's her deal, here I am worrying about are match and she doesn't even care. At this rate, how am I going to win without being able to give any input? Seriously!"

"First, she's like that. Second, give me back my phone."

"Oh, sorry Marui; forgot I borrowed it."

"_Borrowing _is one way to put it…" as Zenji muttered to himself while he took his phone back, the rest of Polar Star's residents were plenty busy preparing their supper. In a school where cooking took up a good 85% of the curriculum; any meal created by the student body had to be to great standards. Even on their free time. Not that this was a law or anything, but the students did adore to cook, so it was a no brainer. At Polar Star Dorms, they had assigned a day were each of the students would work on the supper, as a way to help train each of them. The schedule was as follows:

Mondays was Shun Ibusaki's turn to cook, which was what today was. Polar Star Dorms was filled with smoke every time he took the wheel, hence why it had been decided that the fire alarm was to be shut down as he cooked; with adequate supervision at hand or course.

Tuesdays was Yuuki Yoshino's turn, which meant meat, meat and more meat. It was the day that Megumi hated the most. Not because she hated Yuuki's cooking, on the contrary, she adored Yuuki's style, but rather that she did not want to see animals she had seen being fed being cooked. Hence, she would always go out for a walk until the cooking was done.

Wednesdays was Ryoko Sakaki's day. As per usual with her, most of her ingredients had been prepared the week prior, only lightly cooked and served that day. She then spend the rest of the day preparing next week's meal ingredients and leaving them fermenting on the basement.

Thursdays was Zenji Marui's turn to cook. Considering how varied his style was, it was hard to predict what meal he'd bring to the table. Similar to Soma's, Zenji usually tried his most unorthodox dishes here, with usually gathered mix results. Not because of the taste, but rather how complicated the instructions to eat his dishes were and how much he demanded everyone follow them.

Fridays was Daigo Aoki's turn, although he had been ever so kind as to share his day with his good pal Shoji Sato ever since the latter was ever so kind as to give up his day. Fumio Daimidou half suspected that the two had agreed to take turns each week on cooking duties out of laziness, but she agreed on the condition that she supervised their studying. They have since regretted their decision.

Saturdays had been Shoji Sato's day, but he had since given it to newcomer Soma Yukihira when his arrival gave Polar Star Dorm's more first years than days in a week. While everyone enjoyed Soma's cooking, he had been forbidden from ever cooking with squids. Ever.

Sundays was Megumi Tadokoro's turn. Ever fitting on the most relaxed day of the week, her homely cooking and careful dishes were a perfect way to rejuvenate the youngsters and prepare them for another hard week. Now if they could only try to convince her to experiment a little bit more.

Aside from this, holidays and such fell under Satoshi Isshiki's obligation. He allowed the younger members to rest up on days were school was off, and each day he also helped supervise their cooking in order to not only help them, but, as Fumio had put it, continue to train himself as a trainer and manager.

And, if any of them were sick or a big event was coming when they were too busy, or a celebration was in order, Fumio took care of the cooking duties, usually preparing their favorites to cheer up her kids.

Today, being Monday, Shun was busy drowning the others in smoke, while everyone else was busy preparing the dining table and setting up the tableware. "Is it done?" Yuuki's voice could be heard, directed at Shun.

"Patience."

"Tell that to my stomach, I didn't eat this morning so I'm starving. Just serve it raw!"

"Have you ever heard that patience is a virtue? I won't rush my work because you skipped out." Shun spoke up, grinning slightly. All it earned him was Yuuki extending her middle finger at him.

"Yuuki." Fumio's voice was heard, causing Yuuki to clench her fist. "I was just enumerating in my mind."

"Right," Fumio spoke as she looked around. Everything looked set. Everything save for one thing. "Soma, you're not going to eat?"

"Huh?" Soma spoke up, realizing he had not yet set his area. "Oh, sorry, was just talking and studying and kind of spaced out."

As Soma prepared his area, he saw how all the utensils necessary had found their way onto his side of the table. As he gave them a questioning look, he saw how Megumi gave him a warm smile. "Oh, thanks Tadokoro."

She mouthed a "you're welcome" and took a seat. Soma followed suit. As he stared at his empty plate, already tasting whatever it was Shun was making, he felt a tug on his shirt. As he turned, he saw Satoshi Isshiki standing behind him, better dressed than he usually was at the dorm. "Isshiki…"

"The meat's truly delectable Shun, you're actually playing with a few ingredients that bring out the best of the flavor without over relying on the smoking itself, very good," Satoshi spoke up as he congratulated Shun, earning himself a thumbs-up in response. Then he turned towards Soma. "Soma, if you'd be so kind, can we step outside for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure," ignoring his growling stomach, he accompanied Satoshi outside, where Satoshi turned to him.

"Soma, everything okay?"

"…Yeah, I'm starving thou. Whatcha want?"

"Seems to me like pairing up with Miss Erina has begun to trouble you a bit," as Satoshi spoke, Soma's eyebrow raised.

"Why do you say that?"

"Simply, I've noticed. Also," he smiled a bit. "I do work alongside her for most the time. She can be a handful."

"That's an understatement."

"True. So here I am thinking. I can't get directly involved since this is between Erina and Akira, but, maybe I can help a bit. You mostly…"

"In what way?" while he was not against help, there was really nothing to be done until the matches themselves began.

"This way," Satoshi's voice rose as he pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket. As Soma eyed it, Satoshi continued. "This is an important notice directed at Erina Nakiri, and I haven't the faintest clue as to how or why it ended up in my personal belongings…"

"Really…?"

"Really," he almost sounded sincere. "So, considering Shun is going to take roughly forty more minutes to finish the meal, I thought you could be a dear and deliver this to her. It could be important."

"…You want me to have an excuse to talk to her?" Soma could see his intentions as clear as day, even with an empty stomach possibly clouding his better judgement.

"What makes you think that?" he still almost sounded sincere.

"…You know, I-"

"I'll help you with your math assignment."

"I'm glad to help," the change in Soma's tone was so abrupt that even Satoshi was mildly surprised by it. Soma just smiled and continued: "Let me change and I'll deliver it to her."

"I thought you would."

-0-

Out of the forty minutes before Shun was done, Soma had already wasted twenty getting to Nakiri's place. He had better hope he could give her this and run back home as to avoid missing out on dinner. It smelled so good.

Stopping at the main entrance, were security was set, he approached the guard. "Evening, I've come to deliver something to Nakiri, she here?" as Soma asked, the guard just stared.

"I'm sorry Yukihira," the guard spoke up, with Soma wondering how he knew his name. Of course, Soma couldn't see into the guard's office where a picture of him was at the main desk with the written instructions: "DO NOT LET HIM IN" signed by Erina. "But Lady Erina does not wish to see anyone at the moment."

Soma pondered for a bit. Just giving the guard the letter and leaving, but if he had any hopes of beating Akira he had to get Erina to listen to him. She was always so high and mighty that she could very well be over confident and lose the match.

Like he did.

Ignoring that thought, he spoke: "Oh, no. I'm not here for that Nakiri, I'm here for the other…" He was trying to remember her name…

"_Like the story."_

"Alice."

"Oh, Milady Alice? Er… One moment please," the guard spoke as he pressed a few buttons on a console, before pointing Soma to a nearby screen. Said screen quickly flashed and a screening of Alice came to view. She was apparently lying in her bed already in her pajamas ready to sleep. This was not going to sound convincing. Or proper.

"Alice, hi!" Soma greeted, sounding off even to himself.

"Soma? Since when do you call me Alice…? And since when do you call me period? What's up?" she asked, which Soma found she was ever so cheerful even when caught off guard. Soma decided tricking her would do no good.

"Erm, well," measuring his words was a must with a six-two guard standing three feet from him. "I needed to come and deliver something to you, _Nakiri_, since when we talked you hung up on me and there's that thing we need to do."

As the guard's eye brow was raised, Soma just faked a smile. Alice blinked, before a teasing grin overtook her. "Oh…" she spoke up in realization, "right, so, what are you going to give me?"

"Pardon?"

"For letting you in?" she edged closer to the screen as to whisper. "Since you came all this way to see _me_?" she spoke with an added wink. Soma just scratched his head.

"Let me guess, an I.O.U.?"

"…Good boy," she spoke as she clasped her hands, lying herself back against her bed. "Deal. Come on in then, don't make a scene."

As she said this, Soma tried to ask her something, but his voice made no sound as the main gates were opened. Apparently Alice had pressed something, since the guard had been surprised as well. The guard snapped out of it soon enough, thou, a he merely motioned for Soma to enter.

Once inside, Soma remembered how big this place was, with its many hallways and near endless rooms. He remembered the way to Erina's, so he walked as quickly as he could in order to try and talk some sense it to her and be able to get back to the dorm before dessert. Once he made it to the room, he knocked on the door.

No response.

He knocked again.

No response.

He took a few steps back, looking around. She didn't seem to have cameras installed, so she couldn't, shouldn't know it was him. Not unless Alice informed her. But considering Alice, he doubted she would do that. As the idea to merely leave the letter on her door began to sound tempting, he heard someone talking from the hallway. It took him a moment to recognize it as hers.

And then he saw her, walking towards the room in question, next to her autumn-haired friend. She was currently wearing a log sleeved buttoned shirt, most likely her pajamas, accompanied by equally long pants. They were form fitting, more so than the chef attire they normally wore. Soma couldn't really tell why, but he felt a bit weird at seeing her like this. She seemed so… normal.

He also noticed she had not seen him yet, as she continued to talk to her equally dressed secretary.

"-as for handsome, no way. Sachiko would be much better suited wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-"

Oh, she finally made eye-contact with him.

* * *

%


	4. The Nakiri Way

**Rating:** T+

**Pairing:** Soma/Erina

**Notes:**

As per usual, a very, very BIG "Thank You!" to you all who have read, reviewed, favorited and enjoyed my story! While I have taken a bit longer to update than what I would have hoped (juggling University and a part-time is brutal) here I am with an update. Since Shokugeki no Soma is already heading for another arc (I think, Soma just returned to a bag-load of challenges as of this writing); my story can now go its own route. Onwards to plot!

Anyways, thank you all for the support and please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

**Correction: **Takumi Aldini and Isami Aldini are both Italian, _not_ French. Thanks for pointing it out, since I have no idea how I got that mixed up. On a similar note, Julio Rossi Saotome is also Italian. I apologize for this mistake.

* * *

"Can you believe that woman?" Soma's voice engulfed the entire area of the room he was in. He had spoken up suddenly, after having been silent for a few minutes, much to the sudden surprise of those currently with him. Before his outburst, Soma had been busy sharpening his knives in a stable rhythm; but something (or rather, _someone_) popped into his head. It was… something that didn't happen very often to him.

"What woman?" the tone of the question sounded threatening; or more correctly, like if someone was trying to mask the menace behind the words and failing miserably. Current head of the (admittedly small, currently looking for new members) Don RS Kanichi Konishi was certain that his lovely associate Ikumi Mito had understood Soma's woman troubles in a way Soma did not mean. Soma seemed equally confused by her angry outburst, looking at her puzzling as if he had said something wrong.

"Girl troubles Soma?" Kanichi asked, even if he was certain Soma was not the type to become romantically invested this early in life. If he pondered it, like he was doing now, he didn't seem to recall ever even seeing Soma interact with a girl or boy in any way that didn't seem completely platonically. Maybe he was asexual? Or just chaste?

"One girl, many troubles," he answered, quite possibly not understanding that he was just lighting the fuel in Ikumi's fire.

"Alright, spill," Ikumi ordered Soma as she grabbed the boy by the collar of his jacket, surprising him in a way that he almost dropped the knife he was holding. "Who are you dating? What's her name? Where did you meet her? W-"

"Does she have a sister?"

Soma would admit that he felt his face drain of all color the moment Ikumi threw a knife as Kanichi without bothering to look at him once he had asked that question. How she aimed it so well to fly pass his pompadour and land sticking into the wall next to him must have taken a lot of skill.

Or she missed.

Soma really hoped she hadn't missed.

Her eyes were still locked on him. "Answer."

"What are you saying?" Soma asked the tanned girl who was currently frightening him beyond belief. He couldn't understand why she got so upset all the sudden. Then it hit him. "Oh, that's right; I get it now!"

"What? Wait!" she took a step back, releasing her grip. "I don't mean it like that! Don't you start getting ideas that I want to be the girl that you lose ni-"

"You used work for Nakiri," he concluded. "So of course you're still friends, huh?"

Kanichi would have laughed at the two if Ikumi didn't keep spare knives in her person. How two so masterful chefs could be so completely incompetent in social matters was beyond him. And this coming from the guy who gave names to every grain of rice he used to cook… not that he was going to tell anybody that.

"That's it, right?" Soma asked Ikumi, as she felt her face heat up.

"…You almost made me say something embarrassing…"

"Huh? What are-?"

"Nothing!" she countered, turning around and walking towards Kanichi; or rather, towards the knife clenched to the wall. She gave it a swift pull, and out it came. During this, she just glared at Kanichi; he face still flushed. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," he lied as he did not want to get stabbed. "But Soma, what were you complaining about? Erina Nakiri?"

"…Yeah, she's a handful," Soma repositioned the knife he had dropped between his fingers; as if examining it for damages. Ikumi just stared, suspecting that maybe it was not what she originally understood what he had meant. She knew Soma was, well, a charming you man. But she also knew that Erina was, well, not a girl that could be conquered easily; if at all. Still, it didn't hurt to be sure.

"So…" she began to ask; hoping to be direct enough to get an answer. "You're not dating her?"

"Dating, Nakiri? Oh no, no," he shook his head twice for each "no", much to Ikumi's relief and Kanichi's expectance. Soma really was still a young teen; more preoccupied with recipes and victories over dates and baseball analogies.

"Is it the Shokugeki against Akira?" Ikumi asked, crossing her arms against her chest. It felt weird, if she were honest, to see Soma actually concerned about something related to cooking. He was always adventurous and daring. The only times she had seen him scared was the times she took math class with him and the professor announced a pop quiz. But for a Shokugeki? Soma had been the second place winner of the Autumn Election; a hair away from being the victor. So why…?

"Yes," he answered, but seemed to ponder his answer. "Wait… make that no."

Ikumi and Kanichi both stared, unsure of what he meant. Did he really mean something other than food-related? Something having to do with Erina Nakiri not related to the Shokugeki?

'_Don't tell me that whole bitchy ice-queen routine actually works!' _Ikumi pondered.

'_That girl could do things with that tongue that I could only dream of!' _Kanichi fantasied.

"…Nakiri just doesn't want me around. I can't even try to brainstorm ideas because if I call her, she either hangs up or doesn't pick up at all. If I visit, she doesn't let me in. If I text or email, she never responds. Heck, her secretary doesn't respond either! How are we a team if I have no idea what she's planning to make? I spent an entire night reading about Chinese restaurants in America; from fancy establishments to fast-food joints. I learned various dishes, several highly sought ingredients and even several combinations people seem to enjoy most depending on the state or the culture… but is she interested in hearing any of that? No! I feel like I'm stuck being unable to improve since I have the best opportunity to branch out into uncharted territory and yet she doesn't let me do a thing… Are you guys following me?"

Both Ikumi and Kanichi were speechless.

They had never seen Soma so agitated before. He wasn't actually screaming, but he could be given how expressive he had become. For someone so collected; it seemed Erina Nakiri had an effect on him. Ikumi didn't really like it. Kanichi found it hilarious.

"So…" Ikumi began, as Soma seemed surprise with himself given his sudden outburst. "You're just pissed because Erina isn't taking your help seriously?"

"Something like that, it's… how do I explain it?" he pondered it for a minute. "I lost to Hayama; like we all pretty much did by default. So having a chance to beat him; in an even bigger stage than the Autumn Election is something that I couldn't even begin to believe my luck. But," he paused, briefly. "Is it even me fighting him? Nakiri is doing everything herself. Even if she wins, what accomplishment will I feel if all I did was boil the water and pass her the salt?"

"Are you actually scared of where you measure against God's Tongue?" Kanichi asked, even if he hadn't meant to sound as harsh as he did. The sudden look Soma gave him; of slight shock and slight disgust; made him feel a bit bad about having spoken without thinking. This was Soma after all; he proved to everyone that he never shied away from anybody. Not Alice. Not Subaru. Not even Akira.

"What? Don't be stupid!" Ikumi was quick to insult Kanichi in Soma's defense; while he quickly bowed in apology against the knife wielding girl. "You know Soma, he would never-"

"Do I seem scared?"

The question surprised the other two. Soma stared at them wide eyed, fully expecting a response and awaiting one. It was here Kanichi fully understood what was going on. The look of disgust Soma had shown had not been directed at Kanichi. Soma had directed that look upon himself. He had realized that there was some truth to that assessment; to the fear of just where he measured up against Erina Nakiri.

"Not really…" Kanichi muttered, Soma's eyes still on him. "I wouldn't go as far as to call you scared…"

For the rest of the morning, Soma Yukihira remained silent.

-0-

"So, with that example in mind, go back to your text books on page 1083 and check to see what actually went wrong in that recipe," the professor spoke in monotone, adjusting his glasses to the rim of his nose as he waited for the students to reach the designated page. Soma skimmed through the pages, still shocked at the fact that even at over a thousand pages in he didn't seem to have reached the middle of the text book.

He decided to focus, for once, on the class at hand and contemplated the problem. They were given a recipe, a rather complex restaurant-class seven structured meal, and after reading everything that had taken part they had to decide what went wrong. Was it the written recipe? Or was it the quantity of the ingredients? Or did the time it took to cook the meal ruined the flavor that the recipe had intended to have?

So many possibilities.

Soma looked around; all of his peers were busy reading. He could see Megumi sitting a few seats from him, skimming around the pages of the text book. Did she have a theory, or was she lost? For all her faults, Soma had to admit she was far more book smart than he was, so she was probably mentally testing out a few theories.

The only other person close to him, which he knew well enough in this class, was Takumi; who was looking at the text book with a bored expression. Had he figured it out? Sometimes a few students did manage to get the correct answers, but avoided answering unless prompted as to avoid the risk of answering incorrectly. But again, Takumi was not the type.

"Time's up," the professor spoke up, closing the book he was holding. "You will now pick a partner and discuss, quietly, what each of you think happened. Then decide which theory works best and present it to the class. You have ten minutes."

That was new.

Megumi was next to Soma in a heartbeat; already taking a seat next to him by the time he saw her. "Can I join up?" she asked him; which caused him to smile since he did not know why she would even expect him to decline.

"Sure, let's see what theory you came up with," he began; if only to hide the fact that he had not come up with any himself. If her theory was convincing, which he was sure it was, he'd just go with it.

"Well, since the recipe is based on an old formula from the 1880's, I thought that maybe the u-" Megumi was interrupted the moment the door opened up; not because anyone interrupted her, but because it was so suddenly that it captured everyone's attention.

For the door came Hisako Arato, in very quick steps, walking right up to the professor. "Excuse me, professor Fukuhara," she spoke up politely, before bringing herself close to his ear. As she spoke, the class saw him nod, then blink, nod again, blush, fix his glasses, nod, followed by another nod and finally smile. It was a bit scary.

"Yukihira," Fukuhara spoke up, turning to the young chef. Soma blinked a few times, his dumbfounded expression being the only evidence that he had even heard the man. "You're dismissed," he spoke, before turning to Hisako. "You may take him."

The class erupted into squeals, both genuine and of mockery. From mentions of Soma "stealing Nakiri's secretary" to how Hisako was going to "take" Soma; most students began to mock and laugh at the two. Soma was confused, but Hisako paid them no mind. She was completely indifferent.

As Soma stood up, he noticed that he was going to leave Megumi on her own; which would not normally be a bad thing but he knew her. She still got stage fright, even after being up on stage in the Autumn Election. If she didn't go up there with Soma, she would be an indescribable mess. "Wait, Hishoko," Soma addressed the secretary; who was starting to wonder if everyone mispronounced her name on purpose. A secretary, she got it, it wasn't funny. "Can't I just finish this up real quick? It's an important part of my edu-"

"Not as much as this, and no, you may not. You have orders, as do I. Milady is waiting," she spoke seriously, and as Soma looked around, everyone seemed to be waiting for him to leave to continue the class. The professor was staring at him. Even Megumi just tugged him by the sleeve, giving him a reassuring smile. At that point he knew what she meant. She's strong, and capable, she could manage… But it never hurt to be sure.

"Alright, then let's do this!" he spoke as he moved away from Megumi and walked towards Takumi, before grabbing the boy by the sleeves and pulling him towards the desk he had been in.

"What the hell is your problem? You looking for a fight Yukihira?" Takumi blurted out, half angry, half taken by complete surprise.

Soma just looked at him for a moment, before he just grabbed Takumi by the shoulders, stared at him intently, and spoke: "Be Tadokoro's partner. You'll pass this assignment without having to even work, just stand next to her and look cool. Can you do that?"

"…What are you even-"

"I got to go, good luck you two," Soma interrupted him. With that said, Soma walked towards Hisako, who seemed somewhat perplexed by how those two communicated (she had thought them friends), but she nevertheless escorted him out of the classroom.

The professor just looked on, before turning back to the class. "With that done, get back to work," he said, before adding. "One of you, given Yukihira's absence, is now team-less, so one group will have three members. Aldini, are you going to partner up with Tadokoro?"

The young blond took a look at the young lady Yukihira has left in his "care". Truth be told, he never really talked to her much, save for a few get-togethers at the Polar Star Dorm or just before his match with Subaru. He had seen her cook, so he knew she had skills, but she was such a wallflower that it was hard to get much out of her. Except if you were Soma Yukihira, then she'd talk to you endlessly.

Takumi wondered if Soma could even tell.

"You don't have to worry about me," Megumi whispered to him, with a wink for emphasis. This caused the young Italian cook to fluster a bit, since the petite girl was thirty shades of adorable in her own way. Never one to be upstaged by Yukihira or caught in an uncompromising position (or at least he tried not to be, very earnestly); Takumi sighed and quietly took a seat next to Megumi; eyes closed and arms crossed.

"Yes, I'll be her partner," he stoically told the professor, who simply nodded. Takumi didn't see it. He had his eyes closed.

"…Ah, thank you…?" Megumi told him, unsure. She presumed it was his way of helping her with the work to agree to be her partner; or that's what she assumed. Both Soma and Takumi seemed to be making way to big a deal about this assignment.

"Don't mention it, so, what's your theory?"

"Oh, erm, I was thinking," she spoke as she took out her notes. "…that if we take into account the utensils that the cook most probably used way back in the 1880's; then the reason the recipe didn't work was not a flaw in the written recipe, but rather because the material of the cooking tools degraded much too quickly with the prolonged cooking period; thereby affecting the flavor in a way…"

As Megumi spoke in detail, Takumi came to one undeniable conclusion…

…They were _so_ using her theory.

-0-

"So… what did you think the reason for the recipe's failure was?"

His attempt at small talk was pretty much that; a desperate attempt at ending the awkward silence between himself and Hisako. She was almost just like Erina, quiet, serious and strict. At first glance, she seemed more like a family member of Erina than even her own cousin Alice.

"The utensils."

"Huh?" he blurted out, before he understood. She was actually talking back to him. So, she was a bit more social than Erina Nakiri. "The utensils were the cause? Was it because of the material they were made or something?"

"Yes, they degraded quickly," she muttered quickly, before coming to a sudden stop. It was here Soma noticed that they had walked, well, she had led them to, a storage of sorts. It was a one story building, with a few windows and doors, but one that seemed to be used for housing items rather than housing people. The place was painted in a very low key manner, a simple off-white décor, but with many boxes lying around, even outside. Soma had no idea what this place even was supposed to store, aside from a sign that read "Subject A" near the main entrance. "Just go inside," Hisako told him, before adding: "And please don't touch anything unless told."

Soma stuck his tongue out at her as soon as she turned around, but he nevertheless entered the building. It was messy inside, but it had the smell of oils and butter and salts and spices and herbs and grease. It was here he noticed it had a kitchen, somewhere. He couldn't see it, but there had to be one around.

Then someone grabbed him.

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself!" answered the man, who seemed American by looks but spoke with a hint of Italian not unlike the Aldini siblings. "So you're Soma Yukihira? Nice to meet you fellow, I've heard a lot about you… none of it good but at least I've heard about you, right?"

"…Yeah, better to be hated than-," _wait_. "Who are you again?"

"His name's Julio Rossi Saotome," Erina Nakiri made her presence known. "And his one of my most trusted aides. Julio," she spoke as she turned to the taller boy(?). "…Don't encourage him."

"My apologies Milady, he seems harmless."

Soma did not know whether or not that was an insult.

"And Yukihira," she practically forced herself to pronounce his last name. He took it as her still being mad about him being in her home those days ago and catching her in her jammies. "…Have some decency, please. Wash your hands. I can still smell the iron from the knives you were sharpening."

"What! But that was hours…" he stopped, frozen. She could catch the scent from that, all those hours ago. Had he not washed his hands at all since then? Or could she smell through it even after he washed his hands?

"Just wash them," she ordered, and for all his intentions, he simply nodded. Good hygiene was important after all.

"Milady," Julio spoke up, walking towards a box in the middle of the room they were in. "Where should we start with the storage."

"Don't bother with that," Erina noted. "We need to get this place sorted out first. Yukihira!"

Soma looked at her, as Hisako poured a bit of disinfectant onto his hands. "Yeah?"

"Since I know you're wondering, this place is going to be where the Shokugeki takes place," she waved her hand across the room, signaling the entire building. It was then it hit him. The smell of the kitchen, the wide open areas, all the stuff lying around, the classification. This was going to be their restaurant.

"…It's just like Yukihira's."

"Don't insult this place," Erina muttered under her breathe, but Soma still felt his fist clench. For everything anybody could insult him with; ill-speaking about his family restaurant was the biggest slap-to-the-face he could receive.

"Hey! It was a compliment."

"Right," she sighed as she spoke; trying and failing to convince herself that working with Soma would not be as horrible as she had imagined it to be. "Anyways," she continued; "we need to pick this place up and get it ready for the first competition. You already know Hisako, and you've just met Julio; so I hope you understand they are your superiors."

Why did it not surprise him?

"Also," she continued, not bothering to get an acknowledgement from his part. "I already took the liberty to have Hisako excuse you from the rest of your classes today; so get to work."

"What? Wait," Soma spoke up; confused. Work? What was he going to do? "What am I even going to do?" he mouthed his thoughts. "If you recall Nakiri, you weren't the most approachable person these last few days. I have no idea what recipes we're using, what ingredients we have, what utensils we'll use, how ma-"

The sound of Julio's barely concealed hand-covered laughter caused him to stop; as he gave the elder guy-ish person a sharp glare. At this, he simply erupted into laughter. "Oh my, you were right Milady!" he blurted out between heavy laughter. "He actually thinks he's going to be cooking."

Soma looked on, both lost and angered. Hisako didn't react, her eyes fixated on her notes. Erina, on the other hand, gave off a soft chuckle. This caused Soma to turn to her. "What's so funny?"

"You Yukihira," she stated. "You don't have to concern yourself with the actual cooking. You're going to be the busser of the restaurant, a busboy I believe you commoners call them, so you mustn't worry about the dishes. Leave those to the professionals."

Okay, this felt like a slap too.

"The hell!" he felt his blood boiling. How was Nakiri able to edge him on so naturally? "I was chosen for this as your helper! I have to cook; you know I'm good at cooking!"

"No, the deal was for me to use you as I saw fit," Erina corrected. "Akira stated, and I quote: "work on your next Shokugeki as an assistant chef and lackey"."

"He never said "lackey"."

"Open to interpretation," Erina muttered, as Soma glared at her. "If you do not agree then fine, remove yourself from the competition. Or, correct me if I'm wrong. Let's say that it's true, that you are an employee I have recently hired for my restaurant, just like grandfather says. You are good at what you do, at least good enough to avoid getting fired. But," she paused, smiling. "What happens when I need you to do other things? Maybe not the things you studied for, but certainly things that are necessary. Or are you saying that the work of a busboy is beneath you?"

"What? When did I ever…" then it hit him. She was trying to kick him out, without being caught. If he tried to argue that he was supposed to cook, not clean, she could easily kick him out since he wasn't pulling his weight. And for everything the old man was good with; he still had a soft spot for his granddaughter, so he could possibly give her the benefit of the doubt. He had no choice.

"Are you against your work?" Erina asked, temptingly. She just needed… One. Little. Outburst.

"…No, I understand," he spoke, with a bow, "Milady."

All three other cooks were left silent.

Julio was dumbfounded.

Hisako was impressed.

Erina was… blushing?

"D-Don't mock me, you commoner!"

"I'm not mocking you," he argued, pouting like a small child would. "I'm showing respect. You want me to see you like a boss, then I'll see you like a boss! I'll be the best damn employee you ever had, so that I can leave you no choice but to ascend me and make me an assistant chef in you restaurant," he declared, before adding: "Or have you forgotten our promise?"

Julio's eyes almost fell out of his head. Not just because of his smug attitude towards _the_ Erina Nakiri, even if that did shock him, but rather because of the fact that they seemed to actually share a history of some sort.

Hisako merely looked on, wondering, until she remembered. _'Promise?' _she thought, as she seemed to recall. _'Does he mean when he first came here…?'_

However, against all odds, Erina didn't react much. She just spoke softly.

"I haven't forgotten."

Soma himself was taken back a bit by her actual honesty. As he thought about it, for all the headache inducing trouble she was worth, she was always a professional chef and honest figure of authority. Well, except that time she didn't want to let him into the academy because of his attitude, but nobody's perfect.

"Nakiri, I-"

"If you have time to gawk, then get to work," she threatened, her voice as cold as usual. "Make sure to unpack every single box here. If you see anything you don't know where it should go, just ask Hisako or Julio. Understood?"

"…Yes, ma'am!"

-0-

Five hours passed since the four began to "set-up shop", so to speak. What began early in the afternoon with a messy abandoned-looking building ended late in the afternoon with a still somewhat messy building that at least seemed to be on its way to becoming something mirroring a restaurant. It had a few tables already set up, several sets of chairs already brought inside (even if they were still not on any proper arrangement) and both the electricity and running water had been reconnected (which was the easiest part, since all it took was Hisako calling the main headquarters and telling them to reconnect everything). Furthermore, and perhaps most important of all, the kitchen was actually (mostly) prepared.

Several tools, cooking and otherwise, were all set up across the area, with the large walk-in refrigerators already stocked to some capacity with a handful of different ingredients; including but not limited to: meats, rice, vegetables, fruits, dough, oils, seasonings, sauces, milk, juices, wine, sugars, etc.

For everything done, Erina Nakiri felt horribly sweaty.

"I told you we could have hired someone," Hisako spoke up, finishing up the inventory for the meat. Everything was in order there. "No need for you to have gotten your hands dirty with this."

"A necessary evil," Erina mentioned, as Hisako looked on. "One of the rules found in grandfather's letter about the Shokugeki was that we were going to be given a limited budget on our work; from ingredients, to electricity and water bills, to, well, everything. If I hired someone I would have to use money from that budget, not my own, which will probably come in handy later on…" she paused, examining her work. "Grandfather really wants to push me out of my comfort zone here; he's doing everything in his power to make sure I can't get my way by just throwing my money around."

"Seems harsh."

"No, it's what he believes it's best for me; for us," she declared, taking a seat on one of the still not assigned chairs and taking a sip from her bottled mineral water. "After all, when he was my age the Nakiri name was worth no more than any other. He raised in the ranks by his own efforts. I guess he wants us all to reach higher without using him as an insurance. After all, it is the Nakiri way."

As Hisako looked on, somewhat surprised by how well Erina was adapting to all of this; she supposed it shouldn't really surprise her. After all, since she met Erina, she was always a very professional and driven person. "…I guess it is," Hisako said, smiling.

"…Yeah," Erina the turned, shifting her gaze towards where she had last saw Soma. "I better check up on _him _or else risk someone saying that Erina Nakiri is a bad boss."

So check up on him she did. Erina walked towards the back of the building, where the chemical room was going to be at (sooner or later). It was the only part of the building that still had no lights, not because of the connection, but because the light bulbs they had brought were not working properly and Julio had still not returned with spares. So, to avoid slamming into something (or, heaven forbid, _him_) Erina called out to him. "Yukihira!" she called, against the darkness. "God help me if you pop out suddenly you are so fired."

"I can get fired for that?"

He sounded close.

"Where are you-?"

Before she even finished speaking, the lights suddenly went on around the chemical room, giving her slowly adjusting-to-darkness eyes a very sudden x-ray scan. "Ah motherf-!"

"Nakiri," he spoke up bemused; as she bit down her curse. "Didn't take you for having such a potty mouth."

"Yukihira…" she spoke up, as she slowly regained her sight. As she looked around, she could see that he had installed some lights, but… "What are those?"

"Lightbulbs."

"…I know, but," she spoke, pointing. "Why are they not green?"

"Oh!" he clasped his hands together as he spoke. "It's because Julio hasn't returned with the green ones, so I went out quickly and brought these two back. They were some spares back in my dorm, which is pretty close to here."

"But I wanted them green."

"Oh, come on, listen," he came down from the stool he had been standing on. He had been close to her, a few feet in fact. "I know you said you were going to light each room of the building a different color, with green symbolizing the chemicals, but it was hard to arrange everything without seeing; so… I brought these. Nobody's going to come back here anyways…"

"…Once Julio arrives, change them."

"What? Why?" as Soma asked, Nakiri looked around, walking around the chemical room. She passed her finger against the shelves, examining her finger afterwards.

"Cleaned that."

She didn't say anything, just walked towards the chemicals stacked on the side, picking up the closest bottle to her.

"Labeled it. All of them. They're also in a "first in, first out" order."

She didn't say anything, but felt the desire to smack him. He was sounding so cocky, just because he had worked in a cheap restaurant before. Then it hit her, and she quickly walked up to a shelf on the wall, and…

"The book's there. Wouldn't want any complaints from any labor unions, now would we?"

The smugness of his voice made her want to murder him; just to see how labor unions would respond to that. But, she digressed. He had placed everything in place; so it was a job well done, as far as she could tell. "Very well then," she turned to him, her face showing some sign of approval. "That's enough for today, make sure to sign the participation list before you leave."

-0-

He arrived back at Polar Star Dorm at around 7:45; thanks to the fact on just how close the dorm was to the future sight of the Shokugeki. Since it was Friday, it was currently Daigo Aoki and Shoji Sato's turn to create culinary magic. Or try to, at least.

"Hey Soma!" Daigo spoke up, as he mixed a few spices and sauces together. Soma waved at him as he took a seat in one of the stools near the kitchen; closer to the oven than the diner was. Taking a sniff at what was being done, Soma came to the conclusion that today's meal would be something involving some very spicy chicken wings.

His lips actually felt dry upon smelling the mixture Daigo was creating; bringing a certain Indian chef to mind. Daigo was not just there yet, but then again, neither was Soma.

"Smells good Aoki," he mentioned to Daigo, as the current night's chef pulled out a thumbs up pose.

"Hey idiot, you're leaving the wings frying too much; they're going to be cooked before you pour the sauce at that rate," Shoji cut it, causing Daigo to glare at him.

"What do you think I am, a novice?" asked Daigo.

"Is that a trick question?" countered Shoji.

"I like them dry, makes the spice come out more!" declared Daigo.

"Well I don't, and since I'm stuck mashing potatoes I can't have you burn the wings!" threatened Shoji.

"They won't burn!" announced Daigo.

"Oh yes they will!" assured Shoji.

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Let me know when the food's done," Soma spoke up as he stood up and left the arguing chefs; but not before being surprised by the fact that they both turned to him happily and told him "sure thing Soma!" before they began to argue on just who had Soma just talked to.

Deciding that eating would happen at around ten or so tonight, given the track record those two had when it came to disagreements, Soma decided to stretch his legs and walk around for a while. While he was supposed to be tired after hours of working, after having spent all morning in class, he felt the opposite. He didn't know why, but since he was young he always felt that if he got up to do things since early in the morning, he'd have energy all day long. If he stayed in bed until late and had a slow start, he'd be moody and sleepy all day. His body just worked like that.

Walking around, he came face to face with the building he had worked on earlier today. It did look bigger on the inside, he noted, but then noticed something… the lights were still on.

As he walked into the building, wondering whether Julio had left the lights on or something, he came across a sight he never thought he see. There was Erina, still wearing her working clothes she had had earlier, softly twirling around as she hummed a song to herself. It seemed so out of place.

"Quite the cheerful look there Nakiri," Soma spoke with a grin, and was met with silence. She didn't even turn to him, just kept humming to herself and rocking in place. He looked at her carefully, and noticed that she had earphones on, answering his unasked question. So he gently grabbed her shoulder.

"Na-ki-ri, quite the-"

And his face was smashed by a skillet.

"Ah!" she yelped as she turned, her eyes widening as she realized who had "attacked" her. "Yukihira?"

"In the flesh," he joked weakly, clenching the left side of his face. "Or what's left of it."

"…I told you scaring me could get you in trouble," she noted setting the skilled down and reaching down to his face. He froze, as she placed her hand on the side that she had hit, examining it gently before letting go. It was too brief for him to even get a proper reaction from it. "I have fantasized about smacking you with a frying pan a few times, but I never intended to actually do it. You alright?"

It was the closest to concern he'd get from her, he supposed, so he just nodded and smiled. "I didn't even mean to scare you, I just saw the lights on and presumed they were accidentally left on. What are you still doing here, where are the others?"

"Hisako went home, she has a test tomorrow and I did not want her to sacrifice her grades for me," she told him, going back to what she had been doing before she had smacked him; which he was thankful was her unpacking skillets instead of frying on them. "Julio had a personal emergency, nothing major hopefully, but I gave him the rest of the night off. Your… spare lights should suffice for today."

As she spoke, Soma looked on, occasionally nodding that what she said. It surprised him that this was the first conversation he had actually ever had with her that wasn't either strictly business or back-and-forth banter between the two. Also, she seemed so out of her element; seeming actually tired, sweaty and dirty. Like an actual working professional. She looked… different, but in a good way.

Then she stopped talking, he head turning sideways towards the kitchen. "The snacks done," she spoke up, seemingly pondering something. "Not to get you used to it, but would you care for some?"

Soma stared, surprised. Before simply nodding. He was hungry after all.

So he waited, since Erina told him she didn't need any help (no surprise there), until she came back out with a bowl of deep fried calamari strips; heavily seasoned in a mixture of spices, salts and peppers; with three ramekins filled with special (just-made) sauces in the center. She proceeded to place the bowl in the center of the table.

"Go ahead, you've earned it."

"Thanks Nakiri," he said, picking up a piece. They were crisp to perfection, with a very fine golden color and a delectable smell that made his already apparent hunger all the more out of control. "I didn't actually take you for such a hard worker-"

Her glare caused him to add: "As in for others. Your reputation as the best is evident, but it's just that you always struck me as a more bossy type than a working type… even if I guess that's inaccurate given how you passed all the tests here like they were nothing."

She just looked at him speak while she ate; waiting until she had eaten a few pieces before adding to the conversation. "A reputation must be earned. Just like your placing in the Autumn Election will surely get the second-year students all riled up; I earned my reputation with what I do and how I do it."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Soma mentioned, his brow raised slightly. "They're always mentioning it. The God's Tongue. Hey, Nakiri. Is that tongue of yours really that good?"

She just stared, before she shifted her gaze to the bowl. "How about you first try my food before you challenge my gifts?"

"Oh, sorry," he mentioned, shifting the calamari piece between his fingers. He sort of now realized he had never actually tasted one of Erina's dishes before, and even though this was just a "snack", if still had the feel and smell of an incredible dish. So he gave it a bite.

She just looked on, half expectant on his reaction. Had she known he was going to be eating what she had cooked, she would have done something a little more showy, but this should still be enough to impress him; especially for a snack.

But his reaction was different. He bit, chewed, swallowed; before standing up and muttering a soft apology to her.

"What?" she asked as he did so, only to receive a second apology and be left alone as he turned and walked out of the building. In that moment she felt a mixture of emotions that she couldn't even begin to comprehend.

What kind of reaction had that even been?!

* * *

%


	5. Why Apologize

**Rating:** T+

**Pairing:** Soma/Erina

**Notes:**

First Note! I have just (as of this writing) been told by my reader / reviewer **Shin Makai** that this little story of mine actually got a page on TV Tropes. A very, very, VERY detailed page mind you. Granted, I know it's not the first story to do so, far from it; and most certainly not the last; but is it bad if I feel excited and proud of that fact? I am a frequent visitor to that webpage, yet I didn't know fanfictions could get their own pages (just assumed they got mentions on the fanfic tabs of a given trope and not much else). Still, thanks **Shin Makai** for letting me know and thanks **AnonBiblophile** for adding my story to TV Tropes recommendations page. Means a lot to me!

Second Note! The latest chapter (as of this writing) of Shokugeki no Soma now has Soma (Potential Manga Spoilers Ahead) facing against an Elite Ten member who specializes in Chinese cuisine. Let's just hope they're not American versions of those dishes, otherwise this story's dishes will feel a bit redundant (End of Spoilers).

Third Note! A very, very, VERY big thank you to all those who have read, liked, favorited, and most importantly reviewed my story. It makes this hobby of mine oh so much more fun than it already is. Not to mention, it motivates me greatly! Feedback (heck, even negative feedback to an extent) is a great motivator. So as we enjoy the Shokugeki no Soma manga and anime, let's continue with this little work of fiction. Onwards to plot!

Anyways, thank you all for the support and please enjoy!

Oh, and a link to Nouvelle's TV Tropes page can now be found on my Biography page!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

* * *

Erina Nakiri was not used to being rendered speechless.

Ever since she was young, she always had an answer to everything. She might not have always been right with those answers, but no one could say that she would remain quiet or silent no matter the situation. Be it her little cousin wanting to use her toys, media hounds wanting to milk information out of her in some way, a cocky foreign student challenging her to her seat, or her grandfather accepting such a challenge; Erina Nakiri always knew how to respond to any situation.

…Except someone walking out on her after trying her food.

Soma Yukihira had murmured an apology after trying her snacks, her _handmade snacks_, and had gone out. He stayed outside for about fifteen minutes, only returning to tell her he was retiring for the night and that he recommended that she not stay out to long. She was so dumbfounded all she could respond with was a simple nod.

Was he implying that her food had been too good that he had lost all will to carry on his studies? The thought had crossed her mind, given it would not be the first time someone had ran out of Tootsuki after eating something she made… But, never a Festival Finalist. Surely just a simple snack was not enough to intimidate him. She knew better; knew him better, or at least enough. It seemed more likely to be the opposite…

…Was he implying that her food had been bad?

"Miss Erina," someone calling out her name brought her out of her thoughts; causing her to realize she had gotten lost in her daydreams in the middle of a group conversation during lunch hour. She quickly turned to meet Julio's concerned look, as if giving him a signal that she was now actually paying attention to him. If he was bothered by it, he hid it well. "Milady, I asked you about the items on the menu. Do you have any personal dishes you'd like added, or would you rather fancy a completely new set of dishes for your restaurant?"

"Oh," she had dozed off a bit there, but upon realizing what she had been doing, all she did was frown. "I'll think about it, I'll get back to you tonight."

"Very well," Julio nodded and proceeded to write something on a notebook he always carried with him. Erina was not bothered by him or his questions at the moment, as it was not just the two of them sitting at the table. Next to Julio, to his right, sat Soma Yukihira, drawing what seemed to be a gremlin with the left over sauces of the meal he had just eaten.

When he noticed Erina glaring at him, he showed her his adorned plate. "Look, it's a puppy."

"Don't play with your food," she merely stated, wanting more than anything in the world to have a frying pan handy to smack him upside the head once again, just much, much harder this time.

"Yukihira, don't bother Miss Erina," Julio spoke up, closing his notebook with a slight irritated tone. "Your painting could make her lose her precious appetite."

"Seriously?" Soma asked, in a tone neither Julio nor Erina could tell if it was curious or mocking. He rested his head against his arms on the table; murmuring to them: "I thought we were going to be designing the menus, yet we've been here half an hour and we haven't listen a single dish. Lunch time will be over soon and I tric-convinced Tadokoro to try out my newest Squid Cake à la mode."

"This is part of your assignment, given the conditions of your Shokugeki with Akira, so you mustn't compl-did you say squid?" Julio asked taken aback by Soma's newest "dish"; to which Soma merely nodded in response.

Julio seemed bothered by that idea, considering the look he gave the younger boy, but Erina didn't much care. She did care, however, on the fact that Soma did not seem the least bit different from how he usually was. A carefree, tactless buffoon who seemed to have never found the "on" switch to his brain. He was the same. He acted the same way. So… what had happened last night?

"Miss Erina," a rather tired tone spoke up, running slowly (which is something like jogging, Erina supposed) towards their table. It took her a fraction of a second to move a little to the side to make room for her secretary. "Sorry I'm late, the professor didn't bring enough prints of our test and we had to wait until he went to get some before we could start. It was exhausting."

"You do seem exhausted," Erina mentioned to her, as Hisako set down her tray of food and herself next to her blonde friend. "How did you do?"

"On the test? Fine, well, I think I did fine," she mentioned, taking a spoonful of food and biting down on it. Tootsuki's cafeteria was at a caliber that could compete with the best of chefs; then again, so could the alumni. "The test wasn't so hard, since I studied a lot; it was just so long. Seriously, like four pages of equations."

"Math?" Soma asked her, causing Erina to turn to him. She held back saying anything given the fact that since he was seated at their table, he could be excused for thinking the conversation involved him in some way.

"No, science. Although they are awfully similar at times," Hisako answered.

"Yeah, awfully horrible."

"You got that right," Hisako stated, before turning to Julio. "And, sorry for being rude. Morning Julio."

"Buongiorno Miss Hisako," the Italian chef greeted.

"And good morning Yukihira," she turned to the younger boy, which surprised Erina a bit. Not that she didn't know just how polite Hisako was in formal situations or when she was close to someone, but she just didn't expect it from her directed at him. Apparently, neither did he, given the look on his face.

"Oh, right, good morning Hish-sako," Soma corrected himself mid-name. He had found himself picking up Alice's habit of nicknaming Hisako _Hishoko _due to their respective native meanings. He had to try and remember people's names correctly at the very least if he wanted to be acknowledged by Erina Nakiri. What kind of employee can't remember his own coworkers' names?

Erina merely stared at him for a bit before turning back to Hisako, saying to her: "Just take it easy, we're pretty much done here anyways. I have a meeting with the other Seats which I must attend to; so we'll meet up back at the restaurant later today… Say, four o'clock."

Hisako nodded while Julio responded with an overly positive "yes, milady"; all the while Soma raised his hand. Something like a little kid asking permission to speak. Erina felt her eyelids twitch. "What?"

"I can't challenge the seated members if I'm stuck doing this with you right?" what surprised her the most was the earnest tone his voice carried when asking such a question. "Or," he continued. "Can we do a two for one deal? Like if I challenge, say, the eight seat and then they help Hayama and if we beat them you keep your seat and I take his or hers?"

"Yukihira…" the tone Erina spoke up was near venomous, which surprisingly even Soma caught as he instinctively straighten his posture.

"Oh, right, I guess that's a bit much," he spoke as he crossed his arms against his chest. Both Hisako and Julio looked at the boy as if he had gone insane, while Erina wondered if he finally understood that a seated position was not something so easily gained. "You have seniority right?" he continued, smiling. "So you'd get the eight seat while I get to keep your tenth seat. That way we both go up the ladder, what do you say?"

The silence that resulted could be record breaking at that academy; and Erina was not about to end it by gracing such a question with a response.

-0-

The Elite Ten were Tootsuki's most respected, talented, and at times, most feared individuals out of all the student body. When Senzaemon spoke about rocks and how they were there to polish the one percent amongst the students that were diamonds, he wasn't referring to the Elite Ten. They weren't the one percent of the one hundred percent that made up Tootsuki's student body.

They were the one percent of the one percent. The highest grade of diamonds. The very few who would graduate for certain. Whose future was as bright as they'd allowed it to be.

The group which Erina was meeting up with.

As she walked into their conference room, which was adorned with a round table with ten seats in total surrounding it; alongside a hand-drawn portrait of each of the ten members preparing one of their specialties on the furthest wall from the doorway. The area was also adorned with many cooking utensils utilized by them most, as well as awards and trophies each of them had collected as a member of the Elite Ten (awards gained before their seating was not displayed here, but wherever else the individual desired). However, had Erina not been in here before, she would not have been able to decipher any of the decorations, since the room was pitch black.

Thanks to the outline of light that entered the room from the not-yet-closed doorway she had entered from, she could tell that the other nine members were already present and accounted for. All of them turned to face her, only their outline visible amid the dark surroundings.

"Erina, so good you could join us," a voice spoke up, Erina recognizing it belonging to Eishi Tsukasa, the first seat of the Elite Ten, and Tootsuki's very best student. At least, amongst the currently enrolled.

Erina just frowned. "Any point in having this place so dark? Are we trying to look like something we're not?"

Satoshi could be heard chuckling at her comment, while the rest were at least amused. At this Eishi raised him hand and waved it around, but stopped when he realized Erina would not be seeing it well enough anyways. Instead, he opted to say: "Oh, sorry, that's on me. It's just that I have the worst migraine imaginable, so I asked everyone here if we could do this with the light turned off. Hope you don't mind."

"As you wish," Erina spoke up as she went to take a seat. At first she almost sat down in air as the chair was not where she thought it was, either that or Kuga pushed it a bit further back without her noticing, but she managed to avoid falling on her butt and making a scene. Thankfully, it was too dark for anyone to notice; as she hoped their eyes hadn't become too accustomed to the dark.

"Good, now that the princess has decided to grace us with her presence, we can conclude this thing," Erina didn't need to see to recognize that voice. The resident ninth seat and Yakuza-connected individual, Etsuya Eizan was not one whose tone or words she'd ever mistaken.

"I would have come sooner had this been important Eizan," she mouthed off, not one to remain quiet even at the slightest jab against her. "But," she continued, her tone taking a slight hint of mockery. "Since this meeting is about your businesses, I don't consider it much of a priority."

"That would be given, considering your days on that chair are numbered."

"Oh, are you the betting type?"

"Children, relax," Satoshi interrupted the predicted argument that would form between the two, earning himself a glare from Erina and a rather murderous vibe from Etsuya. "Etsuya, why don't you explain your proposal to Erina, since you do need her approval."

"Oh, does he now?" the glee in her voice made Etsuya clench his fist so hard that his nails nearly burrowed into his skin. Erina merely smiled in his general direction.

"…Right, so, Erina Nakiri, I'm sure you're aware why I called this meeting in the first place?" he asked her, earning himself a nod from the princess. The rest of the group merely looked on, each having heard the proposal minutes just before Erina arrived at the meeting.

"I have an idea of what it is you want," she answered, resting her back fully against the chair and interlocking her fingers, giving her an "analytical" pose, of sorts. "Your family is to hold an event in the coming weeks, and you want to utilize the academy's resources for it. Am I in the right track?"

"More or less," Etsuya clarified. "My father is going to hold a nationwide event which will have ramifications worldwide. His business, our business, is going to expand and I am here soliciting permission to have Tootsuki, or rather, Tootsuki's founding family offer my family full sponsorship. I've already spoke to Headmaster Nakiri about this, and it was his decision to leave the actual decision in the hands of the Elite Ten."

"I see," Erina pondered for a bit. "And that means the decision is at a tie, right?"

"That is correct," Satoshi spoke up, extending his hand and pointing to four of the members in the room. "Terunori Kuga, Soumei Saitou, Tosuke Megishima and Rindou Kobayashi are in favor of allowing Etsuya Eizan to use Tootsuki Academy as a sponsor for his event, and," he pointed to the three other remaining members before ending up pointing to himself. "Nene Kinokuni, Momo Akanegakubo, Eishi Tsukasa and I are against it. So it's a four-on-four tie which your vote will decide."

Etsuya, despite his composed attitude, involuntary stiffened. Erina, even in the darkness, could tell. Half of her wanted to rub it in his face that if he knew the decision rested in her shoulders, he should have been so much nicer to her when she came, but given his pride he failed at even that. Then again, she would have probably done the same thing. "And why did each of you decide upon that?"

"I just went against whatever it was Kuga decided," Nene spoke in eerie monotone.

"I could actually believe that from you, you damn stubborn hag!" Terunori barked at her, earning only a smirk in return.

"Ah, not so loud Kuga, please," the first seat pleaded, earning himself a "oh, right" from Kuga.

"I actually don't have much of a problem with Tootsuki sponsoring the event," the second seat and leading lady of the Elite Ten Rindou Kobayashi chipped in, causing Erina to turn her attention to her.

"How so?" Erina asked.

"Well, what harm can it do?" Rindou explained. "Etsuya here just wants to help Daddy make it in the business world, why are we going to crush his dream like that?"

"My family is renowned you wench." Etsuya responded, as Rindou turned to him.

"Don't make me take back my vote."

"You can't."

This just earned Etsuya a smile from his senior, as he shrugged and turned to Erina, who in turn then turned to Satoshi. Seeing as he was being looked upon, he spoke: "I voted against it because I feel like Etsuya's family business is not necessarily one that fits into Tootsuki's line of ethical expectance."

"Are you calling my father's business a fraud?"

"Far from it," Satoshi explained. "Your father is a world renowned business man. His influences can be felt around the world, and he is a very intelligent individual and a gifted entrepreneur. But, that aside, he is not a graduate of ours. And even if his business does involve the culinary world, his methods have been less that ethical and he has been recently involved in some very interesting rumors, has he not?"

"I exhort you to find any evidence on what it is you are trying to imply, Isshiki," Etsuya's voice dripped in venom as he spoke, but Satoshi merely smiled.

"A sponsorship from Tootsuki can sometimes make or break a business," Erina cut in, causing everyone but the head fallen first seat to look her way. "Tootsuki sponsors events worldwide, from the culinary themed events such as the International Exhibition of Culinary Art and the Bocuse d'Or to non-culinary events such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. Any event lesser in status to those in pretty much blessed to have Tootsuki as a sponsor; which goes double if it is culinary in theme. But that pedigree would be ruined if Tootsuki began sponsoring any and all events, as it would lose its prestigious status. So, sorry, but my vote is no."

"Are you serious?" Etsuya's tone was murderous, but Erina merely looked on. "My father may not have been a student, but my family is connected to Tootsuki. We are in business. And I am a student, and Elite Ten member at that. And you are saying just because of some rumors surrounding my father I won't receive the sponsorship?"

"That's exactly what I am saying," Erina answered, as Etsuya looked the angriest he'd ever been. "And I am sorry, but, we can't be allowed being associated by whatever it is your father is accused to having done. My decision is final."

Etsuya Eizan remained silent and unmoved, as the remaining members of the Elite Ten reached their verdict. At a score of five against four against the decision to have Tootsuki sponsor Etsuya's family's event; their meeting was effectively over. And as Erina stood up, she could fell Etsuya's cold stare tearing against her skin. One which she returned as she turned to leave. She didn't care if she was her senior in year and in seating, no one looked down upon Erina Nakiri.

And, effectively, the meeting was concluded.

And the lights were turned on.

All ten member groaned and covered their eyes in pain, a collection of shouts echoed throughout the room, like: "my eyes", "oh my head", "who the hell did that?", "now I have a migraine too", or something to that extent. As Erina's vision recovered, she caught a glimpse of the one who had turned the lights on.

Her grandfather.

"…Oh, sorry. Were you kids playing in here or something?"

-0-

As per his now-modified schedule stated, Soma Yukihira found himself back at the restaurant-to-be with his "superiors" Hisako and Julio. Julio had proceeded to arrange their newest stocks and add the green lightbulb to the chemical room as per Erina's prior instructions. Hisako had brought her laptop and told Soma that she was going to document every Chinese dish served in America, or at least most of them, and their respective variations so when Erina arrived they could proceed to create a menu fitting for a restaurant "owned" by her. She then proceeded to ask Soma if he could help with painting the outer walls of the restaurant, to which he agreed to.

Not that he had a choice anyway, but out of all his bosses, he preferred Hisako by a longshot. At least she asked.

So painting he was, or drawing. He was bored so he began to draw stick figures on the wall with the paint. The one with long hair was supposed to be Erina. The one with pig-tails was Megumi. The one with big eyes was Marui. Then he heard Erina's voice nearby, and he quickly began to paint over his drawings.

He heard her speak to Hisako, asking where he was. Hisako told her, and then he heard her steps as she approached the side door that he had exited from. As he did, he painted faster and faster, covering the cheesy cartoons from his boss who would not lose the opportunity to fire him for messing around during work hours.

"Yukihira."

"Yeah," he covered the figures head with his hand as he leaned against the wall, the only part he couldn't paint over in time. So he posed, while smiling at her.

"…What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if the paint was dry," he lied, obviously. "It's not."

"…Alright," she was beginning to think this boy was not mentally prepared for this line of work. "Just came here to inform you, as is my duty as your employer, that the date for our first part of our three-part Shokugeki has been given. It's in four days."

"Really!" he got close to her and grabbed her by the shoulders in a sudden burst of excitement. "So we fight Hayama in four days, cool! Wait, no, I'm still a busboy right? Damn, I need to do something to-"

"Yukihira…"

"Huh? Yes boss?"

"You're not grabbing my shoulder with your paint-covered hand, are you?"

He pondered this for a bit, looking at his hands, one was clean, and the other wasn't. He then looked at her face, which now that he realized was awfully close to his own. Surprisingly, she wasn't frowning, or screaming for that matter. She was staring, coldly. Which, he would admit, was scarier. "…Yeah, I'll let go."

"Thank you," she thanked him as he did. Then she turned to enter the restaurant. As Soma was left surprised by the lack of outburst on her part, Erina stopped dead in her tracks, Soma's handprint clearly labeled in her right shoulder, and turned to him. He froze.

"Yukihira," she began, as he saw himself in the unemployment line. "…Why did you, I mean, when I gave you…" she stopped, having apparent trouble spitting out what she wanted to say. Soma looked on, confused. Normally Erina was someone who was overly blunt. God's Tongue was not shy, something which he admittedly admired in her, even if she was honest to a fault.

"Why did I what?" he asked. "If you mean paint you, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

"No, not that," she stammered a bit. "Last night, when you came here."

"…Oh," he knew were this was going. "You mean when I left, right?"

She didn't respond, just stared. It was still evidently a "yes". So Soma began to stammer in turn, as he spoke: "You see, it was late, so I left in a hurry. It was my turn to cook back at the dorm so I couldn't let my roommates starve," he lied.

As Soma finished his excuse with a laugh that sounded more like a nervous chuckle that a heartfelt laughter, Erina merely turned and walked into the restaurant. "Wash your filthy hands and come inside. Employee meeting."

"Heh, heh," he finished weakly.

-0-

"This is the very first item in our menu," Erina spoke up as she signaled the dish atop the tray she was carrying. After she called forth the "employee meeting", Erina made her way into the kitchen and began to prepare something. It was so personally hers that she declined assistance from either Hisako or Julio, telling them to wait with Soma in the only set up table in the main area until she finished. She took nearly twenty minutes until she was done, coming out carrying a rather large tray with a big covered plate. "Since we are going to have our first Shokugeki in four days, we might as well focus on the appetizers, since that will be the theme. Both main entrees and desserts will be added on the second and third part of the Shokugeki respectively, but for now, I present to you all our first appetizer: the Hand-Folded Dumplings Combination!"

As she uncovered the dish, the fresh fragrance of the recently cooked dumplings enveloped the area, smacking the other three chefs directly in the stomach. Erina proceeded to put the dish in the middle of the table the three were sitting at, before proceeding to "present" the dish: "This dish is made by covering a chosen filling with the soft wonton dough and boiling them to perfection, which can then be served as is," she motioned to a group of dumplings with a soft texture, before continuing. "Or further cooked by either pan-frying them," she pointed at another group with only one side fried. "Or, deep-frying them," then she pointed at the last group which were completely fried.

Her "employees" all looked about to faint of starvation.

"The fillings include multiple meats, such as pork, chicken, shrimp, beef, crab or lobster; or for those who wish for a less meaty variant; there are those with just vegetables or specially prepared tofu. Oh, and the three ramekins there have different sauces. With your choice of potsticker sauce, spicy plum sauce or peanut butter for dipping," she stated before giving the three of them a knowing smile. "Enjoy."

Julio quickly took out his chopsticks and proceeded to take on of the pan-fried dumplings. Dipping it in the potsticker sauce before placing it in his mouth. The moment he bit onto it, the juicy meat, pork as he found out, gushed out encasing him in a moment of bliss. The dumplings were small enough to be eaten in a single bit, but large enough to engulf your entire mouth as you did. The flavor was so strong it took him a bit to be able to bite it down and swallow it. As he did, he felt himself transported.

_Julio found himself in the ancient era of the Three Kingdoms, dressed head to toe with the formal wear of the Chinese generals. Next to him was his fellow general Zhuge Liang, with both him and Julio bowing down to their king, who looked like a giant dumpling._

Hisako, noticing Julio had been lost, proceeded to also take a dumpling, hers being the un-fried one. She also dipped it in the potsticker sauce, before biting down on it. It was a vegetarian one, but she wouldn't have been able to tell given the strong flavor it gave off. The sauce complimented it so well she could have been fooled had she not been a chef herself. So she too, like Julio, was transported.

_Hisako was posing on a stand, her body not being covered by a single article of clothing. She was posing for a statue to be made in her image, with many other statues, the "Terracotta Warriors", adorning the area. Her statue's sculptor was a dumpling._

Soma looked, left, then right. First at Julio, then at Hisako. They were both lost in their food induced fantasies; which was a strangely common occurrence in this academy. He then turned to Erina, who was looking at him, directly at him, expectantly.

"…I'm just the busboy, I wouldn't have the privilege to eat them, right?"

"On the contrary," Erina countered. "All my employees have to know the flavor of the restaurant. Even if you are a busboy, you will be wearing the uniform. What if a client confuses you for a waiter? If he or she asks you something? Are you going to say: "Sorry, but you are mistaken, I'm not a waiter"? The customer is always right, so, as to avoid that, please… Enjoy."

"…I'm not really that hungry, so," he didn't even finish the sentence when her glare intensified, to which he added. "But I'm not one to let food go to waste, so, thanks for the meal."

Then Soma proceeded to pick up a piece, a pan-fried dumpling which Erina quickly identified as being filled with pork meat. He followed suit and dipped it in the potsticker sauce, leaving the other two sauces ignored (for now), before entering it into his mouth. He chewed, as Erina looked on. She examined every single one of his changes in expression, as subtle as they were. Then he swallowed, and she waited. Waited for the reaction he had shown the night before. The reaction she could still not understand.

It never came.

"That's pretty good Nakiri," was all he said.

Once again, she was too shocked to respond.

-0-

As they called it a night, the four proceeded to go back to their respective dorms (or in Erina's case, her home). The remaining dumplings have been collectively eaten by the group in between discussions of the menu items. Said menu had been greatly improved upon, with many entrees added and with Erina promising that they'd probably be done by early tomorrow. So as Soma walked alone by the dark sidewalk towards Polaris Dormitory, he stopped for a moment.

…And took out the last dumpling he had taken from the table when no one noticed.

Back there, he had not eaten another one, something which he was sure Erina noticed. She was eyeing him like a hawk. And, in a sense, he couldn't blame her. He looked like a dissatisfied customer, and if he had one, he would stop at nothing to know what had he done to displease said customer. Erina was probably doing just that. Or, thinking that was the case.

"Dissatisfied, right," he then took a look at the now cold dumpling. Storing it in a folded napkin in his pocket was neither sanitary nor a good way to keep it fresh, but he had to make sure. Twice now he had felt it, and it just couldn't be. Nobody could cook like that.

Not even Erina "God's Tongue" Nakiri.

So he ate it.

_And he found himself in a familiar place. A familiar scent enveloped his entire essence, filling him with a long lost sensation he thought he would never again feel. He looked around, it was his kitchen. Not the dorms kitchen, not the kitchen in the academy and not the kitchen were the Autumn Election had taken place. But his kitchen, the one back at Yukihira's._

_And he was three again, or maybe four. He saw his father, and he was sitting on the table, looking towards the kitchen. His father was smiling. So was Soma. The food smelled so good, it was being cooked to perfection._

"_Is it done," his father asked._

"_Yes!" Soma joyfully shouted. It was done, he could tell by the smell alone. It always gave off that smell, of such sweetness. So he sat down on the table, and dinner was served. It was served to his father. It was served to him. So he thanked the cook._

"_Thanks mom!"_

_And his mother smiled at him._

It was the feeling of his own tears streaming down his cheeks that brought him out of the fantasy, as his body shivered in pure cold sweat. It was at that moment that he could no longer deny it.

"How can Nakiri cook just like mom?"

* * *

%


	6. Foursome

**Rating:** T+

**Pairing:** Soma/Erina

**Genre:** Romance

**Notes:**

Just moved! I'm currently in Nebraska for a new job! Let's hope it all goes okay, since moving is the most tiring thing I ever remember doing!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

* * *

"_How can Nakiri cook just like mom?" _

His own words echoed throughout his head, leaving the young red-headed chef-in-training at a loss on how to even understand how that could be.

"…Just like mom," he repeated to himself, this time in a softer tone of voice. He was sure he was alone on the sidewalk at this late an hour, but he wanted to avoid being seen talking to himself. Although, given today's technology, onlookers would most likely conclude that he was taking on his phone rather than to himself, but it didn't hurt to keep one's own thoughts in one's own head.

Feeling those very thoughts betraying him, he sat down on a nearby bench, climbing one leg onto the bench and resting his arms and head on it. He hadn't noticed it before, but Erina reminded him so much of her. Not in looks, and certainly not in personality, but her _style_. So elegant and fancy, yet the flavor was so _warm _that just anyone could enjoy it. It was the reason Yukihira's was such a success.

So Soma just laid himself back against the bench, a star-filled sky as his roof. He took out his cellphone and speed-dialed, and in moments the person on the other line answered. If Soma's knowledge on time zones was correct, it should be sometime in the day for him.

"Hello," his ever cheerful father answered, against the backdrop of what Soma figured was a very, very busy kitchen.

"Hey dad."

"Hey, how've you been? I was just talking about you," he told Soma as Soma heard him distance himself from the phone a bit to tell what Soma presumed was a co-worker (or maybe it was his boss) that it was his son on the line. "So," Jouichirou continued. "What have you been up to? You rarely call your old man. Need some cash?"

"…No, that's not it," Soma answered in a slightly irritated tone. Did his father consider him that sort of son? "Seriously," he continued. "I can call for other reasons."

"Could've fooled me," the tone implied it had been a jest.

"See why I don't call," Soma pouted a bit as he spoke, before stopping because he felt it made him look like an idiot. "For your information, a lot has been going around here since I last saw you. After I almost won the Autumn Election-" Then it hit him. Soma had not told his father about the results. He had remembered his match against his father before the event, where Jouichirou had told him to win the Festival. His pride had stopped him from telling his own father about his loss.

"Almost won?" he could hear his father's soft laughter as he spoke. "Is that like what, did you faint before you could reach the table and the win was given to the other guy by default, or did a bird fly in and poop in your dish before you served it and caused you to lose?"

"Oh ha, ha, ha. So funny," Soma was beginning to regret calling this guy. "I mean I got second ra-place. The judges fought over the meal, like literal fighting. One guy lost a tooth even."

"I'd expect nothing less."

"Eh… the tooth thing or my defeat."

"Making the decision a hard one for them, and losing with style, like a real Yukihira would," Jouichirou spoke as he suppressed his laughter upon hearing Soma mumble something in response, probably not agreeing much with him. "Now, now, don't be stubborn. You can't win them all."

"I really tried, you know, for Yukihira's sake. For… mom," the last word caught Jouichirou off guard a bit, since his son didn't really like to speak much about that. Not even with him. However, it did make him understand the intent behind the call.

"Both she and I know you did," Jouichirou tone got softer, as Soma heard him speak to somebody and tell him or her to give him a few minutes. Soma supposed he got out of the kitchen and went somewhere quiet, as all the background noise diminished intensively. "She was always proud of you, no reason for you to think otherwise now."

"But," Soma placed his arm across his eyes, covering them like a blindfold. "To surpass you, to be the best, I need to win."

"That's true, but remember Soma, you don't always win," Jouichirou spoke while Soma's just nodded, even if his father couldn't see him do it. "Losing doesn't make you a failure, it shows you what you lack, were you weakness lies. It allows you to take advantage of it, and fix it. A real loser is the one that is content with his loss, not the one that strives to learn from it."

"But, you won the election in your first year, right?"

"Me?" his father's tone turned into a much jollier one. "Hell no!"

"See, you-wait, what?" his surprised tone caused him to almost scream. "You didn't win?"

"No. When did I ever tell you I won?"

"But you told me to surpass you I had to win this thing," Soma wasn't sure if his father was lying to make him feel good, or had lied to him previously to edge him on. Then again, his father had never talked about his Festival's performance. Maybe he lost to Gin.

"Exactly, I told you that you had to win to surpass me, since I didn't."

"Is that so…?" Soma said as he came to the most logical conclusion. "You got second place too, huh?"

"Heck no, I lost in the first round."

All that followed was silence.

-0-

Working in a kitchen was a very noisy occupation. With the chef and the assistants running around, grilling something on one end, while attempting to cut something else elsewhere and at the same time trying to get a recipe right; silence in a kitchen was rare. You were more likely to hear someone slam the refrigerator door in anguish over the lack of an ingredient than you were of hearing your own thoughts. That however, didn't seem to apply to a certain kitchen.

A kitchen Jun was currently supervising.

The young teacher looked on, her cooking classroom having been turned into an experimental laboratory for her young ward and his "assistant", if she could call him that. That boy honestly frightened her, but Akira had assured her he had everything under control. So that's how she found herself in the world's most quietest kitchen, as both Akira and Ryou worked silently on separate ingredients, only gesturing each other very rarely if the needed something. Such signals had only been given twice these last four hours they've been there.

…And she was starting to worry about all this.

"Don't worry Jun," Akira's voice broke the silence, "you may leave us here; your kitchen will still be here when you return."

…And he read her mind, somehow.

"Ah… no, I'm fine," she half-lied, since she was worried, just not about the kitchen. Well, not much.

"But?"

"…But are you sure you want to go through with this?" she asked Akira as he seemed to stop what he was doing and turned his attention to her. Seeing this as an opportunity to express herself clearly, she continued. "I mean, I know you're a great chef, you're my greatest, but… erm… Erina Nakiri is-"

"As human as anybody else," Akira cut her off, causing her to frown in return. She didn't mean it like that, but even Akira had to know what she meant. You didn't challenge the Nakiri family in cooking unless you had a sure-win plan or a death-wish. And as far as she knew, Akira had neither.

"Akira, I just mean you could have waited, you even accepted to give up your little diary if she wins."

"It's not a diary," Akira muttered a bit irritated. "Why does everybody keep calling it that?"

"Because it seems like one…" Ryou muttered in response while he tasted something out of a pot he had just been stirring, causing Akira to narrow his eyes in Ryou's general direction. This cause Ryou to blurt out a "What?" is return.

"Nothing," Akira decided not to press it, instead he opted to continue with the preparations. "Are you done, Ryou?"

"Yeah," the violence-prone chef answered, smirking. "I'd like to see Nakiri top this… or Yukihira."

"Then you'll get your wish soon enough," was all Akira commented on the matter. Jun just continued to stare, at these two young boys, well, young men who were preparing for quite the war; with just aromatized pots and pans.

"Pardon me," another voice cut in, which caused the two chefs-in-training and the supervising teacher to turn towards the just now opened door (which with everyone lost in thought; nobody realized had been opened) as Eishi and Rindou walked in. Both Akira and Ryou sharpened their gazes as the top two students in all Tootsuki made their presence known, especially given that the two were in mid-cooking.

Jun was busy patting Eishi on the head.

"How you've grown; look at you!" she spoke to the flustered teen, who seemed to only avert his eyes from her but offered no more resistance. Rindou gave a soft laugh, as Akira felt like hiding under a rock. Could his teacher ever read the mood?

"Eh… yeah, I am a third year, so…"

"That you are, oh, and my little Rindou, you've grown too!"

"That I have, I'm smoking hot lady now, aren't I?" Rindou playfully went along with Jun; as Eishi seemed more uncomfortable that anyone else there. Which was saying something. Akira and Ryou just watched as the most feared and respected alumni turned different shades of red with each comment Rindou and Jun spoke, especially with Jun asking if the two of them were dating and Rindou not confirming or denying anything. Truth be told, both Akira and Ryou found it oddly amusing.

"Okay, Miss, we do have something important to get down first," Eishi interrupted, apparently having had enough of being treated like a baby. His tone never got raised however. "We're here for them."

As he spoke, he pointed to Akira and Ryou, who just nodded. Akira was quick to step up to him and ask: "Has anything changed in the Shokugeki?"

"Oh no," Rindou answered, her smile always present. "Everything's all set up for your match in three days, so… our dear maybe-next-ten-seat, we're just here to assign the workers you'll be having. Ms. Nakiri already selected hers."

"Workers?" Ryou spoke up, staring coldly at his two seniors. "Do we need more people?"

"A restaurant cannot be run by just two, our work will mostly be in the kitchen anyways," Akira answered him without even bothering to look. "These so-called workers are just young students, probably those with lower than average grades who in order to get a few more points in their classes work at these events as waiters, back waiters, bussers or hosts."

"And how am I supposed to know that if you never told me!"

"We are in this challenge together," Akira answered matter-of-factly. "I'd have assumed you'd be more interested in learning about the procedure that you'd research how this challenger works."

"You dragged me into this, you spice-smelling bastard! I wasn't even interested in having a Shokugeki with you the first time around!" he stared shouted and finished growling. Akira just gave a soft smile in response, which caused Ryou to clench his fist harder. Jun was starting to worry that those two would get into a fight, but her worry became bigger when Ryou was grabbed by the collar of his shirt from behind.

"What the he-!"

"Language," his "lady" Alice Nakiri playfully scolded him; which to everyone's surprise caused Ryou to swallow his words and just nod. Even Akira found that surprising. "I really can't leave you alone, can I?"

As Alice spoke to Ryou like she was scolding a toddler, Eishi and Rindou looked on, bemused. "She should totally become a dog trainer," Rindou mentioned.

"Don't make fun of our juniors."

"I'm not," Rindou defended herself. "I'm only saying she has a natural talent for it."

"…Pardon me," Eishi repeated a bit louder towards the younger crowd, of whom only Akira still had his eyes set on him. "I really need to do other things, so, if you'll all be a dear and just tell me how much staff do you want, we'll calculate your remaining budget so you can continue your work and we can continue our…" he mentioned, adding a muttered: "…no thanks to you Akira who challenges a seated member to a Shokugeki just after the Elections finish… you couldn't even let me rest a week…" which only Akira heard.

"…Anyways," Rindou cut in, in order to allow Eishi to pity himself in private. "Spicy boy, just tell me how many members you'll have in your staff. Remember, each of them will only be present during the three matches, two if any of you wins twice right off, and its fifty dollars out of your budget per match per staff member."

"And that's not counting him," a newly recovered Eishi spoke as he pointed to Ryou. "He's fulltime, so he's paid one hundred daily from the day you started to the final match, once for every participation sheet he has signed."

"Wait, I get paid?"

"Hypothetically," Akira corrected. "It's to balance the imaginary budget. You won't get real cash."

Ryou's frown got wider as Alice played around trying to shift it into a smile with her fingers, which made him look constipated (as per her observations). Rindou found the two of them charming, but turned back to Akira and asked an impatient "well?" at the young challenger.

"I suppose I can't know what Erina Nakiri asked for?" Akira asked.

"You cannot," Eishi answered, before adding. "Well, not to us, you could ask her but I doubt she'd-"

"Just no," Rindou summarized before Eishi started blabbering.

Akira thought for a moment, before turning to Alice. "Why are you here anyways?"

"How rude, I just came to check up on my aide," she said playfully, before adding a mildly irritated: "Which you stole!"

"Ah," Akira sighed in relief. For a moment he had actually thought-

"And I want to join your group!"

-that she was going to say something like that.

"Absolutely not," Akira didn't even ponder it.

"What, why?"

"Because I don't believe you're capable of carrying out orders. Dishing them out, yes, but actually following through to one, doubtful," he noted. Plus, she was too impatient and unpredictable. Her skills as a cook were incredible, that much he'd admit, but for a restaurant it would be better to have a capable worker than another talented chef. "Plus, I already have my second aide."

"Huh?" Alice had not heard about a second aide, and judging by Ryou's glare, neither had he. Akira just turned and grabbed the list of students who would be would-be staff, noticing that he didn't recognize a single name of this list.

"Wait a minute," Ryou expectedly began. "Since when do you have a second-?"

"Actually Akira, you'll need a third," Eishi cut in. Akira, Ryou and Alice turned to him; with Akira looking confused, Ryou still looking irritated and Alice beginning to smile; which in turn caused Akira to worry.

"Does Erina have three aides?" Jun asked, to which Rindou nodded to before Eishi could answer.

"Here's her application form, with a picture of her three aides. As per the rules, a Shokugeki of this caliber must be an even match, so it's one chef with three aides on both sides," Rindou explained, before turning to Akira. "And you have five minutes to choose your third."

"Her," he said as he pointed to a now jumping up and down Alice, since he knew he'd be unable to find anyone better anyways, especially now that he was forced to choose another person.

Ryou took a look at the application Erina had filled, his eyes scanning the whole thing in moments. "Yukihira, Soma. Arato, Hisako-"

"Hishoko."

"Don't start… and… who the hell is this Julio guy?"

"Don't you remember, he's one of Erina's lackey's," Alice tried to refresh her ex-aide's memory, who did not seem to remember the guy. "You know, Italian," Ryou shook his head. "Erina always sends him to fight Shokugekis she doesn't want to participate in," still nothing. "Sang karaoke at Erina's last birthday party."

"Oh, that guy," Ryou finally got something. "I thought he was just someone's drunk uncle."

"So Akira," Eishi spoke to the main challenger in the room, who turned to face his superior and someday challenge. "Who is your third aide?"

"Megumi Tadokoro."

-0-

"Erina Nakiri."

Hisako finished typing the letters of her best friend's name into the email she was writing, having just read the whole thing aloud to Erina, who merely looked on and nodded. With a simple click, Hisako sent it on its way. "Good, with that out of the way," Erina cheerfully stated, before adding: "I think we're pretty much set."

"I would think so," Hisako added.

"So with a copy of our menu sent to the headmaster alongside our records of our expected usage of the budget, we just need to keep practicing on the dishes, right?" Julio asked as he checked on of the printed out menus, the gold and black colors which will soon fully adorn their restaurant also adorning it. Erina just smiled and nodded, since everything was working out perfectly.

…Well, almost everything.

"…What?" Soma asked as he felt her staring a hole into him. It had gotten to a point that if he spoke too much, to try and act normal, she'd glare at him. If he kept quiet and didn't utter a single word, like he was doing now, she'd still glare at him. If no-win scenarios existed, this would surely be one.

"…Small changes everyone," Erina addressed the group instead of trying to understand the boy that had been troubling her so. This was more urgent. "Since we are taking… "staff members" we need to organize our supervision accordingly. I already set you all up in official positions, and you all fall into very high roles and high-paying titles."

"Wait, even me?" Soma blurted out, pointing to himself just in case Erina would not understand who he was referring to.

"Yes, even you," she mentioned, irritated. Then she continued: "So, our staff will be comprised of two hosts, who will take turns sitting guests at their assigned tables; ten waiters, whose job it is to take orders and deliver the food; two back waiters, who are in charge of taking the cooked food and both setting it up like it should look while also assigning it to its corresponding table; and finally…" she stared at a smiling Soma. "…two bussers, who clean everything."

"Yes!" he shouted in delight. "No more Soma the busboy! So, what's my job? Am I assigned the pantry, or the expo? I'm cool with either one, I mean, I could do both, but, let's not get to greedy, so-"

"You're Head Busser," Erina stated. "Your job is to lead those two I just mentioned. Don't let them slack off."

And this is what true defeat felt like.

"Head Busser…?"

"Yeah."

"I've never heard of a Head Busser."

"Now you have."

"…I don't think it even exists."

"Oh, it does… probably, maybe."

"It sound like I'm cleaning peoples' heads! Oh, come on Nakiri!" his composed state broke and he started shouting, which caused Erina to frown at him. "I get you don't like me, or how I cook, so I presumed this whole "busboy" thing would last until the match started, as if to humble me or something. But if you're seriously going to relegate me to cleaning after the guests, our judges mind you, it's just, just… not right," he finished weakly, remembering that screaming at your boss can get one fired. Quickly.

"Are you done?" Erina asked nonchalantly.

All his pent up rage and anger got forcibly stopped as he just laid back on his chair and replied with a weak: "Yeah, sorry."

"Okay," Erina turned to Hisako. "You're my second-in-command Hisako, you're the Kitchen Manager, so it's your job to make sure the back waiters get their orders right and set everything like the pictures we took of each dish I made. Got it?"

"…Yeah, got it!"

"And Julio," she turned to the Italian man. "You're my Chief-of-Staff, so you'll make sure the waiters do everything right and that the host avoid double-sitting any of them. Obviously, you both will be with me in the kitchen most often than not, so no concerns there. Are we clear?"

Both Hisako and Julio answered positively, nodding and all. Only Soma remained quiet, which Erina took as invitation to ask again in the most I-am-better-than-you tone she could muster. "Are? We? Clear?"

"…Yes, Milady."

-0-

"Good evening to you fellows at home watching, and big shout-out to all the students here, at the event of the upcoming winter; live courtesy of Tootsuki TV, it's the first match of the Shokugeki between heir of the Nakiri family and resident seated member of the Elite Ten, Erina Nakiri against the foreign student and winner of this year's Autumn Election, Akira Hayama!" as the television host spoke live at the event, the crowds cheered and applauded, all of them hoping to be last-minute selected as one of the three "guest" judges for the event. Others were their just to see either the queen fall (fans of Akira) or see her own him (fans of Erina). "So our event starts shortly, but first, a word from out sponsors…"

"…There's a bigger crowd than there was at the Festival," Soma mentioned from the inside of the building they were currently at. Both teams started at this spot, a classroom building which the newsgroups utilized as their main headquarters, as they exited with the camera behind them all the way to their respective restaurants, escorted to begin the match.

"Yes, there are," Hisako commented. "This is a televised event, and you know people."

"Yeah," Soma answered back, as they both smiled at each other. Erina just looked on from another window, sitting down with her legs crossed. This was not new to her.

As they were called down, Erina, Hisako, Julio and Soma exited their guest room and walked down the stairs towards the outside of the building, only to be stopped by one of the camera crew who told them that they'd have to go out one at a time as the host called out their name; to serve as an introduction to viewers.

"And coming this way," the host could be heard saying. "Is none other than the very queen of Tootsuki itself; whose tongue is said to possess the abilities of none other than Satan. The granddaughter of the Don of the Food Industry himself; the Ten Seat with zero Shokugeki defeats! Erina! Nakiri!"

And as if scripted she walked out, her eyes closed as she exited, but wide open and smiling in front of all the lights, all the cheers, all the camera flashes, and all the looks. Soma just looked on, admiring her. She did these things so naturally, and you could see it in her face that it was still scripted. Acted. She knew what they expected her to do, and she did it. If she wasn't so… herself, he'd actually like her more.

"And," the host continued, as the remaining three members awaited their call. "Both competitors have three assistants to help them on their challenge. And while I say assistants, don't get me wrong, these are some of the best of the best Tootsuki has to offer. So without further ado, let's welcome," he pulled out one of three cards. "Hisako Arato, assistant chef and Kitchen Manager!"

Hisako just muttered an "oh, boy" as she exited the building to flashes that made it seem like it was a lighting storm, leaving only Julio and Soma behind.

"Hey, Julio."

"Hmm?"

"Don't you feel that these people take these events, a bit, I don't know, too extreme?"

"…What makes you say that?"

"And next up is Julio Rossi Saotome, assistant chef and Chief-of-Staff!" the host had not even finished the introduction as Julio ran out of the building, jumping and shouting: "Oh yeah!" as loud as he could as he posed for every possible photo.

"…Just a hunch," Soma finished to himself.

"And finally we have Soma Yukihira," the host began, as Soma began to walk out of the building. The cheers were every present and the cameras were poised to capture the moment. "Assistant ch-Oh, wait, he's not."

Everyone froze, as the host looked at the card, then at the camera man, turned the card around to look at its behind, then back again. He seemed to receive some sort of communication on his audible device, as he spoke a soft: "But isn't he the runner-up?" before nodding a bit. Then he continued: "Soma Yukihira, the Head Busser of the restaurant! Yeah, a very big responsibility, when something gets broken or spilled, who you gonna call? Soma!"

Even as the host tried to make it seem exciting, everyone just stared blank faced. Soma merely looked to his right, then to his left, before simply giving out a peace sign and a dorky smile.

Erina was just suppressing her laughter, finding the situation to be better than she expected. She almost failed if it wasn't for Hisako, who did something she didn't expect her to.

"This is mean, even for you."

Erina froze. Hisako didn't refer to her as Milady, and her tone was the coldest she had ever used on her. Hisako didn't even look at her, but she knew who that had been directed to. She was too lost for words to even respond to it, and before she knew it Soma was now standing alongside them, ready for the challenge.

Erina just looked from Hisako to him, he seemed composed, steady, not broken like Hisako's words seemed to imply. But Erina just looked her eyes unable to understand that she did see something was off. Was she taking this too far?

"And now the challenger," the host continued, with everyone turning their attention back at him. "Our champion and number one first year student, debatably second with Erina Nakiri's presence but he's here to debunk that, all the way from India, Akira Hayama!"

Akira exited the building with his hands on his pockets, his gaze steady, and his walk unflinching. Erina's attention was snapped back at the matter at hand. She didn't know what Akira had prepared, but she was ready for anything.

"And now for his three assistants, wait, are all three of them assistants…" he checked. "Yes, three assistants; first aide is none other than Ryou Kurokiba, assistant chef!"

Ryou exited the building frowning, his glare directed directly at Erina, who was taken a bit back by its suddenness. "What's up with him?" she asked herself softly.

"Next," the host continued. "Is-Oh my, you're going to love this one folks, Alice Nakiri, assistant chef!"

"Alice?" Soma could be heard saying, as Hisako frowned and muttered a "that woman…" while Julio seemed more shocked than anything. Only Erina was composed.

"_I knew it," _she thought, her gaze cold. _"You just couldn't resist this opportunity, could you?"_

"And finally," the host went for the last member of their party. "The last but not least aide, Megumi Tadokoro, assistant chef!"

Soma felt himself slapped awake.

As Megumi exited the building, all dressed up in her formal chef wear, her expression determined and steady; Soma felt himself sink. And just like that he smiled.

Then shouted.

"Oh yeah! Tadokoro! You've got this!" he shouted from the top of his lungs, and for a moment, the two locked gazes. He gave her a thumbs up, to which she smiled before being told to move alongside her group. "Oh man," Soma turned to Hisako. "I didn't see that twist coming."

"Neither did I," she spoke as she smiled at him.

Erina just stared, her mind both focused and blank. She was focused on the event, on her cooking, her recipes, her everything within the restaurant. But Hisako's words, alongside with Soma's outburst, made her feel… off. She shook those thoughts aside thou, this was not the time nor the place. So she straightened herself, her chest up with pride, as the crowds cheered and cheered. This was her moment, and she would not lose it to anyone.

Not Akira Hayama.

Not Alice Nakiri.

Not Soma Yukihira.

Not even Megumi Tadokoro.

Because she's Erina Nakiri, and that's how it will always be.

"So," the host spoke softly against the microphone, intimately. All for the added appeal of drama. "Let's get this thing you've all been waiting for started."

* * *

%


	7. A Thing Called Reality

**Rating:** T+

**Pairing:** Soma/Erina

**Genre:** _Slow_ Romance

**Notes:**

Nothing much to add today. Just thanks everyone and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

* * *

_This would be a surprise, would it not?_

…_Although, an explanation is required first._

_It all first began when she heard a soft knock on her door. Megumi had not been expecting anyone else to come inside, as both of her friends-slash-housemates __Yuuki Yoshino and Ryoko Sakaki were already in there with her. The three girls had been doing something that they lately had not been able to do much or often; which was to just hang out and talk about things friends usually talked about. So it was surprising for her when Fumio peeked her head into her room and told her she had a rather "unexpected" visitor downstairs. So Megumi followed Fumio towards their living room; leaving a dumbfounded Yuuki and Ryoko behind, who only looked at each other before following Megumi for a little friendly eavesdropping._

"_Akira?" Megumi asked, even thou the act of the name coming from her mouth did not seem to make it more believable. "And he's here to see me?"_

"_That's what he said," Fumio answered, clearly just as confused as she was. "At first I thought he was here for Soma, and I told him the boy was away working on Nakiri's restaurant, but he insisted that he came here for you and that it was urgent that he would speak to you. Maybe he wants to date you or something."_

"_Fumio!" Megumi felt herself blush. She's never been asked out; nor would she expect it so suddenly by somebody she has hardly ever spoken to._

"_I'm just saying, when random boys show up here, they're usually here to challenge Satoshi or Soma to a Shokugeki, to ask one of you girls out on a date… or to challenge you girls to a Shokugeki with the date as the prize," as Fumio said this, she let out a soft smile to the now nervous Megumi. "But since I know a thing or two about this Akira fellow, I don't think he's here to challenge or date you. He's a nice boy, whatever it is, he won't try to force it upon you. Otherwise we'll throw him into Yuuki's pig pen."_

_Megumi just laughed as she made her way to the living room, where as expected was a well-dressed Akira waiting for her, sitting cross-legged and proper; with a rather large envelope on the couch right beside him. Her heart beat a little faster as he really did look like if he had gone there to ask her out. How would she respond to that?_

"_Megumi Tadokoro," he greeted, his tone soft and polite, as he most often was. "Are you well? Oh, and many thanks Mrs. Daimidou for fetching her."_

"_You are very welcome," the older lady gave the boy a soft smile. "I see Jun's boasts about you are not all for granted."_

"_Not all of them."_

"_That's good to hear young man, so," Fumio turned to Megumi. "I'll leave you two to your business. I'll be in my room if I am needed."_

_And like that Megumi Tadokoro was left alone in the living room with Akira Hayama._

"_Megumi-"_

"_Yes!" Megumi automatic overly forcefully happy response made Akira give a confused look; as Megumi mentally slapped herself for overacting. She had to repeat to herself over and over again that he was not there to ask her out; so she shouldn't be trying to turn him down if the boy wasn't even trying anything. "Oh, sorry," she apologized; also making a mental note to tone down her apologies. "I'm a little jumpy, but, you were saying?"_

"…_Would you like to go out with me?"_

_Her eyes forgot how it was to blink. She just froze, her wide-eyed expression glued to her face as she tried (and failed) to register that what she had just repeatedly told herself would not happen, was happening. All she could hear was the silence of the room, her own screams in her own head and the sound of whispering from the walls that was undoubtedly Yuuki and Ryoko's bad attempt at hiding._

"…_Pardon?" she asked weakly._

_Akira just stared; then gave a soft chuckle. "Sorry, that's my bad attempt at an icebreaker," he confessed; as she felt herself twitch all over. "You seemed so nervous that I just assumed you were half expecting me to say that."_

"…_You're mean."_

"_I apologize," his smile didn't fade in the slightest. "But our respective romantic endeavors aside; I'm actually here to make you an offer."_

_Megumi stared for a bit, she took a seat opposite of him, cross-legged like a lady should, and allowed his words to sink in. Offer? "What kind of offer?"_

"_I would like you to be my second assistant chef in my Shokugeki against Nakiri," he mentioned, eyes locked onto hers. "Since with only Kurokiba by my side, I am short on one-"_

"_I couldn't," she was quick to interrupt, causing him to look dumbstruck for a bit._

"_Pardon?" it was his turn to ask, half wondering if she was returning the joke._

"_I said I couldn't possibly be part of that," her tone was serious; serious enough for Akira to realize she was not joking about this._

"_And why is that?"_

"_Why?" she repeated, her tone making it seem like it was obvious as to "why" and Akira was refusing to see it._

"_Yes, why? I'd like to hear a reason for why you "couldn't possibly" join me," he repeated her terms, as she frowned at him. He found it funny how even when she frowned, as unlike other girls he has met, like Jun, Hisako or even Erina; she still looked adorable even when "mad"._

"_Akira, I have no idea why you think this is funny, but I can't be a part of that," her tone was still serious, but it was his turn to frown. And he did not look as cute as she did doing so._

"_Still awaiting your reason why."_

"_Because…"_

"_Because?"_

"_Well because of," she started, but stopped herself as she got to "of"._

"…_Soma?" he finished for her, causing himself to receive a glare from her. He noted that he was clearly a gifted individual to have actually managed to produce a glare from Megumi Tadokoro; and that she actually looked rather attractive with such a serious expression on her features. He decided it be best to ignore those thoughts, as it was not stopping her newfound glare from being aimed in his direction._

"…_Yes, Soma," she admitted, glare ever present. "I know I'm perceived as some dumb small town girl who doesn't know when she's being used, but I do have pride you know, I-"_

"_Whoa, whoa, easy there," Akira stood up, his hands held out wide open in front of him towards her, as if he were calming a raging bull. "Who said anything about using you, I'm asking you to join me. I'm not taking advantage of you or planning to."_

"_You say that now, but why me?" she crossed her arms as she did this, causing him to wonder if he should feel threatened or amused._

"_Because of your skill."_

"_My skill?" she asked that in the most incredulous way anyone had even heard her utter, as even Akira was surprised by her tone. "You have Alice, Takumi or Mimasaka to choose from, and you want my skill?"_

"_I do not want Alice anywhere near me, and Mimasaka's "style" is not one I agree to. Takumi I've considered, but I believe you are the best choice," he explained as best he could, but by the look on her face made it clear she was not buying any of it._

"_Really?"_

"_Yes, why are you being so…" then it hit him. Her refusals and her worry about being "used". It all made sense. "I get it. You think I want you on my team like some sort of insurance to use against Yukihira."_

_She looked at him, biting her lower lip a bit before shifting her view to the ground. "…Why else would you ask me…?" she weakly finished, her tone back to how it usually was._

"_Megumi," Akira began, sitting back down a bit closer to her. "I understand Soma is your friend, and that you may feel a certain way towards him that does make him a very important friend."_

"_What?" her face got flustered very quickly as he spoke._

"_Relax, I've been there," his tone got softer, as if speaking from experience. "I know what it is like; to feel something for someone who cares for you but not in the way you would like them to," as he spoke Megumi just listened, realizing fully well who he was implying. "So that's why we do this; why we fight against those beyond our reach. Not for them, but to prove to ourselves that we are not measured by their standards, but by our own."_

"…_I still don't understand."_

"_I'll explain," as he spoke, Akira retrieved the envelope he had with him and took out a letter from it. It was the letter sent out to both Erina and himself about the details of their upcoming Shokugeki. "Erina has both Soma and Hisako as her aides in the upcoming match, so I'm required to have two aides in order for it to be a fair match up. I honestly can't think of a better partner than you."_

_She allowed all of this to sink in. Was he really asking her to be a part of his team because of her skill? No hidden agenda or anything. It's not like she distrusted Akira, but again, she didn't know much about him. "It's counterproductive for you, I mean, making me go up against Soma."_

"_Why?" he asked, his tone serious. "I know he has helped you out, but that help has not been one-sided. You did not reach the Autumn Elections because he bribed the judges to put you there. You reached the Elections because you are good. And truth be told, I want you on my team because my restaurant is Mexican cuisine. Mexican cuisine is bigger in the United States than in any other country save for obviously Mexico. Do you know why they're so big in the States?"_

"_Um… because there are a lot of people who were born in Mexico living in the States?"_

"_Exactly, because while many Americans and people from other nationalities may enjoy Mexican cuisine as much as the next guy, they'll never feel the passion for it as much as those residents who grew up with the real thing," his tone was strong, in a way Megumi had a hard time describing. "Because even if you leave your home country to look for better opportunities, you leave your heart in your country. And those restaurants give you the ability to eat your hometown meals at least one more time. So for that half an hour you're eating there; you're home. And you know what they call that? Comfort foods…" he stopped, before adding with a very serious expression directed right at her eyes. "…And I have not found a better chef for cooking comfort foods than the one I'm talking to right now."_

_Megumi forgot how to swallow._

"_Oh my God! I felt it all the way from here!" Yuuki's voice was heard all over the living room, as Megumi found herself unable to speak and Akira just looked at the wall he heard her voice from in amusement._

"_Yuuki, quiet, they'll hear you," that was Ryoko._

"_I think they already did," and that was Fumio._

_Wait._

"_Fumio! Are you eavesdropping too?" Megumi found her voice, and at that moment three heads peaked out from the doorframe; each belonging to Yuuki, Ryoko and Fumio respectively. "Girls, could I get some privacy!_

"_Hey, I'm a girl, eavesdropping is a female hobby; don't you watch soaps?" that was Yuuki._

"_I'm just tagging along, don't blame me," that was Ryoko._

"_And I'm old and bored, so sue me," and that was Fumio._

_As Megumi just felt like there was really nothing she could say to them; as it was their expected behavior anyways; Akira standing up caused her attention to return to him. "You don't have to answer me now; just please try to give me an answer in two days; since the first match is in four."_

_He began to walk away, after giving Megumi (and by extension, the other ladies present) as short bow. As he did, he was stopped by Megumi grabbing onto the sleeve of his shirt. "You really think I'll be a good asset to you? This is a multicultural thing."_

"_Hey, I'm a guy from India making a Mexican restaurant in Japan. It doesn't get more multicultural than that," he spoke with a smile, an actual soft smile which Megumi had not really seen in him before. He did add something else before he left thou, stating: "And remember, Soma has no stake in this. Even if he loses, he is not expelled or anything of the sort. So what better event to make him really look at what you're made of than this one right here?"_

_She allowed his words to sink in; and as he left, she felt a small smile on her own lips._

_This would be a surprise, would it not?_

-0-

"Welcome back my ever faithful viewers!" a cheerful young girl appeared on television and streaming computer screens everywhere once the commercials ended and the event resumed. "You are all tuning in live for the cooking match of the century between the heiress of the Nakiri throne and current ten seat of the Elite Ten, Erina Nakiri; versus the champion of this year's Autumn Elections and overall top rookie of the first years, Akira Hayama! I'm your ever lovable host Urara Kawashima," she spoke with a wink to the audience. "Bringing you all the action on-direct courtesy of Tootsuki TV! Who will take home the crown on the first of the three proposed matched between Erina and Akira? We shall see on this event when we-"

"Hey!" a loud yell was heard off screen, as the girl jumped a bit as she was startled. "You're not supposed to be using that!"

"And, hey, look at the time! Urara Kawashima away!" with that spoken Urara darter out of the camera's view and onto somewhere off camera, as the previous host of the event appeared.

"…teenagers," he could be heard muttering; as he quickly composed himself and smiled brightly for the camera. "Sorry about that, uh, technical difficulties. But, enough of that, are you folks ready for the event? Why of course you are, you wouldn't be sitting there if you weren't! So without further ado, let's tune in back at the two teams as they're moved towards their respective restaurants!"

As the camera panned out, showing the hundreds of people gathered at that spot surrounding the competitors (mostly made out of other students, teachers, workers or special guests), almost everyone in Tootsuki who wasn't their present was tuning into the event from their dorms. Because not only was it the first Elite Member challenge of the year, which is a pretty big deal for everybody but mostly for the first years who have not seen a previous match up and have been led to believe that the Elite Ten are all but untouchable, but because many teachers announced a short quiz on the subject of the match for the next day; giving students an extra initiative to tune in.

And so around the campus, many where seeing the broadcast. From the whole group at Polar Star Dormitories, to the Aldini brothers at their room, to Kanichi and Ikumi at the former's dorm room (per the former's insistence he had no one else to see the event with), to even the rest of the members of the Elite Ten (each with their own predictions as to what would happen tonight). While most people were eager to see the match start, the biggest doubt or even complain everyone had at the moment it was announced was pretty much the most expected of reactions.

"Soma Yukihira is _not_ cooking?"

For Soma, this meant stares. Many stares. From hundreds of people. Oh, and whispering. Can't forget the whispering.

So he just stood there, fourth in line after Julio, Hisako and Erina respectively, all staring down against the other team composed of Megumi, Alice, Ryou and Akira respectively. It felt so weird to be here, since while he had expected this event to be big, he didn't expect to feel like a movie star on the red carpet; as that was the closest he could describe it to someone if asked. Weirder even, was looking forwards and seeing Megumi all prepped and ready to fight against his team. Against him. It was a weird feeling, given to the fact that out of everyone in Tootsuki; he had never expected to go up against her.

So when the groups were told they could advance forwards and head towards the limousines (because of course, why not?) to be driven towards their respective restaurants; Soma did not hesitate to break formation and go towards Megumi.

Erina stared at him as he did, for the briefest of moments, before turning her attention elsewhere and heading to where she had been told to go alongside Hisako and Julio.

"Tadokoro!" he yelled as loud as he could, since the background noise and music made it hard to communicate. "Hey, Tadokoro!"

"Soma!" she yelled back, taking a few steps towards him, as her group stopped for a bit as she did. "Soma, hey! I, erm, surprise!?"

"Surprise alright! What are you doing here? I mean," he ought to correct himself. He wasn't that stupid. "I know you're competing, but, since when?"

"About four days ago, while you were painting, I guess."

"Oh, right, and, wow, look at you," he mentioned, honestly because he couldn't get the right words out. She looked, different. Something about her, about how she carried herself at that moment, made her almost unrecognizable in his eyes. "This is a pretty big thing, you know, I'm so glad for you. And I do mean that honestly, even if you're the reason we lose, I still mean it."

"I know," she just cocked her head a bit to the side, eyes a bit narrowed. Not looking mad, but composed. A strange adjective to describe Megumi, Soma noted. "I almost didn't accept, as I didn't want to inconvenience you, you know."

"Inconvenience?" his questioning tone couldn't be more honest. "Tadokoro, this is what we do, who we are. I'd have been disappointed if you had said no; so trust me, you did well."

"I know," her smile was tender as she spoke, causing him to stammer a bit with his own thoughts. It was honestly surprising for him that that could happen. "I'm here to prove something to myself, actually," she continued; and before he could ask she explained. "That the results of the Elections were just a midterm exam, not our final grades. Who says I can't be top student?"

"…No one's going to."

"…" if she was going to say something, she allowed her smile to do it for her. As Soma looked for more words to use, or try to, Akira could be heard calling for her, telling her that they really needed to go. It was then Soma noticed that all three other members of Megumi's group had been waiting for her to finish speaking with him; completely unlike his own group who were probably halfway to the restaurant by now. "I got to go," she mentioned softly, with him nodding in understanding.

"Best of luck, Tadokoro," Soma spoke to her, before turning to Akira. "Good luck man, show them all why you're the one with the crown."

Akira just smiled in turn, before speaking loud enough for Soma to hear but not loud enough to be considered a yell. "And best of luck to you too. Then again, if you have improved even in the slightest since our last match; you won't need much luck at all."

"I'd wish," Soma just smiled from ear to ear. "But haven't you heard, I'm a busboy, so you won't have to worry about me." As he spoke, he felt Megumi's piercing gaze upon him, analyzing him, like she always did when she thought he was putting on an act for one reason or another. Most of the time, she over analyzed stuff, but he'd have to agree that she was dead-on target this time around. "Eh," he would try to act it thou. "Tadokoro, something on yo-?"

"She's going to regret that."

The serious tone she took surprised him. It was so unlike her, to speak about someone like that. Even if he perfectly understood why.

"I really don't think she's the type to regret her decisions," he spoke honestly. Erina Nakiri was definitely not someone who'd waver on a decision she took just because other people disagreed.

"No Soma, trust me on this," Megumi's tone was still serious, but with her ever present smile as she turned towards her new comrades. "This is one mistake she's not going to be able to buy her way out of."

And for what was seemingly becoming a trend, Soma was left without a reply to give.

-0-

Soma was honestly surprised to find out that his "team" (a term he used as sparingly as he could, since a better description for their formation would be "Our Queen, the aides and her lackey"; but it would be a mouthful to say) actually waited for him at the limo. Oh, they did really care for their busboy… Or Erina would be disqualified if he wasn't at the match.

Yeah, that's probably why.

So as Team Erina plus 1 made their way to the restaurant, Soma partook in some sightseeing. Not that he hadn't seen any of this prior, since earlier that day he had taken his motor bike by this very route to reach their meeting point. Heck, he was forced to leave in parked somewhere around this area, since the amount of people at the point where they started were so many that's he wouldn't have found a spot an inch closer if he circled around the entire area. He was even sure he had parked somewhere closer to the actual restaurant that to the event, not that it mattered much.

As he watched and thought of his motor bike (he hoped it wouldn't rain), he felt oddly uncomfortable in the limousine. Since for all the commotion that just took place moments prior, the inside of that limousine was as quiet as could be. It seemed to be a trend when it came to riding in the same automobile as Erina Nakiri; at least when it came to him. Soma considered starting a conversation to ease the tension a bit, but decided not to on the account that he honestly didn't feel like it. Which was admittedly strange for him.

It took the sound of Erina's beeping phone, notifying everyone that she had received a text, to start something resembling a conversation between the four.

"…The staff's already there," Erina spoke softly, the other three unsure if it had been to them or to herself.

"That's good right?" Julio decided to try and use that to converse, even if it may have not been meant to anyone. "I mean, they were given a list of things that they needed to learn a few days ago when they were chosen, so it's good that they see the restaurant before they have to work on it… Even if it's only a few minutes."

"I suppose," Erina muttered, her eyes still glued to the phone. From Soma's point of view, she seemed to be reading something of the internet. He didn't know how she could, as he always got dizzy if he tried to read while on a moving vehicle. "…Just hope they don't touch anything."

Everyone just remained quiet at her comment, not wanting to rally up her more by telling her that their jobs required them to touch stuff. A lot of stuff. Soma just stared as he had come to expect her attitude by now, but he was still surprised when Hisako addressed him directly. "Hey Soma," she said. "You okay? Nervous?"

"…Ah," where had that come from? He knew Hisako was not as overly, what word could he use, _intense_ as Erina; but to randomly ask him if he was okay was surprising. "I'm fine," he lied. "I guess I'm a little nervous. Never had people I needed to supervise, so it's a new experience there."

"You'll do fine. We're all counting on you to help us keep this thing running," she smiled at him as she said so, before shocking both him and an attention-paying Julio by turning to Erina and adding: "Isn't that right, Milady?"

Erina's face contorted a bit.

"…What was that?" Erina asked, her tone genuinely confused.

"That we're _all_ counting on him to help us out," Hisako repeated, adding extra emphasis to the "all" to make sure Erina knew she was including her on that statement. Erina just stared before closing her eyes and sighing.

"Yeah, we are," she spoke, eyes still closed, before reopening to face Soma. "Just do your best."

Soma just smiled, more at Hisako than at Erina. But it still felt nice to receive some amount of support from his "boss"; even if it was practically being given at gunpoint.

"Will do."

-0-

As the four arrived at the restaurant, already with all of its lights turned on, equipment in place, and the big, bright neon sign that read: "GOLDEN LOCKS" in bright, obviously golden letters; Erina took that very minimal moment they were given before the competition started (which began at six o'clock sharp and lasted until eleven) to quickly run to her office and mentally prepare herself.

She sat down on her chair, facing towards her big desk, and took out the photo of her biggest cooking idol, Jouichirou Saiba.

"See, I could so get my own restaurant," she softly addressed the sole man responsible for her interest in following in the family business; and the one person she'd dedicate any of her triumphs to. Wherever he was anyways, she had not heard much from him recently.

"We're ready Milady," Hisako interrupted as she entered the office, causing Erina to quickly place the photograph face down on the desk. Hisako took only a moment to see what was going on before she gave Erina a sly smile. "Talking to your crush?"

"…It's not like that," a flustered Erina countered, before she stopped a leaving Hisako by adding: "Wait, Hisako! Are you mad at me?"

Hisako just turned to face her friend, looking at her for a moment before shaking her head. "No Milady, I'm not. I'm-"

"Yes you are!" Erina pouted as she spoke, causing Hisako to feel a bit awkward at being the only person alive allowed to see this side of her. But this was not the time nor the place for that, not with such an important event about to start in mere minutes. Erina, however, continued to speak while pouting. "You're mad because I treat that commoner like trash."

"…You make it sound worse."

"…But it's true."

"Milady, I-"

"Erina! Call me Erina," she shouted at first, before recovering the tone she always used; which in turn cause Hisako to widen her eyes a bit. She knew Erina to well to not notice when she formed barriers around herself. "I'm not your lady, I'm your friend. So, please, even if it's just you, call me-"

"Erina," Hisako complied, in the most tender voice she could have used. Erina just looked at her, as if unsure of what to say. "Sometimes the things you do, I, well, can't just blindly nod and agree with. Soma Yukihira is many things, but he is not a bad person. If anything, he's the one person who doesn't treat you the way you hate to be treated."

At this Erina said nothing, just shifted her gaze from Hisako to her facedown photograph.

"But, regardless of that, I'm here for you," Hisako continued, clenching her fist against the upper buttons of her chef's attire and smiling at Erina. "Never forget. There's not a single individual present in this entire campus that wants to see you succeed more than this girl right here."

-0-

"So… Are you really Soma Yukihira?"

Soma just nodded as one of the two bussers he was assigned to "supervise" asked him if he was who he said he was. The two of them were both first years, and both were failing at one class that they decided to participate in this events in hopes of gaining a few bonus points. The other boy, who was looking at Soma intensely, just asked: "Why are you a busboy?"

"…Because Erina Nakiri hates my guts… I guess…"

"Oh…" both of them spoke in unison, nodding.

Before they could ask any more questions, and Soma be forced to answer them, a loud chime was heard all around the campus; signaling the start of the event. At this Soma just took a deep breath, before sharply looking at the two before him.

"Okay, listen up guys, I know you two get your bonus points whether we win or lose this thing, so there is not much stake in this for you so long as you do your job moderately proper," he stated, as the both just looked at him more surprised than anything by his change of tone. "But we are part of Erina Nakiri's team, just by saying that around here you two will open doors you have no idea could be opened. That goes double if you help her win. So let's focus on this. This place has forty tables, so I'll split them and assign tables one to twenty to you," he said pointing at one of them. "And tables twenty-one to forty to you," he added while pointing to the other.

They both nodded in unison, wondering where this guy had a switch that turned him from casual to professional in an instant.

"And don't worry if anything goes wrong," Soma added, offering the two of them a smile. "You're both just support. I'll assign myself all forty tables and keep them steady and clean. You each just reset them like Nakiri wants them to be. Remember, a clean plate in front of each seat, and a folded napkin with two forks, a knife and a pair of chopsticks on the left side of each plate. You guys can get that stuff at the counters; all of which are fully stocked on plates, utensils and napkins. Understood?"

All they could do was nod.

-0-

The four-sectioned fryer had already been turned on; each section with two deep-fryer baskets.

The wide grill had already been set; divided into three sections of heat measuring 230 degrees, 300 degrees and 400 degrees of heat respectively.

The stove was also on, with the pans, skillets and woks all positioned as they should be; spatulas, tongs and other kitchen friendly materials all nearby and ready for usage.

The fridges (one for the expo, another for the pantry) were fully stuffed as ordered by Erina Nakiri; while both the walk-in cooler and the freezer were (slightly less so) stocked and kept at a respective temperature of 32 and -5 degrees Fahrenheit.

All the staff was in position, with the two hosts at the lobby, the waiters each scattered nearby waiting for their first seat, a back waiter in front of the expo and the other in front of the pantry, each busser (as per Soma's instructions) on his assigned area and all three chefs at the kitchen…

…Oh, and Soma was there somewhere.

So they waited.

…And waited.

…And waited.

…And waited.

…And waited.

Soma checked his watch. It read 6:12.

So they waited.

…And waited.

…And waited.

…And waited.

…And wait-

-The front doors were opened!

"Welcome to Restaurant Golden Locks," one of the hosts, a young girl in her first year at Tootsuki, spoke with a rehearsed greeting; complete with the most charming smile she could muster. After all, everything was being recorded, thanks to all the security cameras functioning as television cameras for the night. "Table for two?"

"Oh, yes, two please," the would-be customer spoke up, a young man in his twenties at most, accompanied by an equally aged female companion. As the young hostess got two menus ready and signaled the couple to follow her; the other host, a young lad, just kept his smile in place and watched as his "coworker" lead the couple to their table. The order had been preset, as each table had been numbered from one to forty, so they would be seated that way. This couple, for example, being the first, would seat at table number one. Therefore, they would be assigned to Andrew, an American first year student who had been assigned tables one, eleven, twenty-one and thirty-one. Or at least, that had been the intention.

"Oh, it's a bit chilly in here," the female guest spoke up, just as the hostess had placed the menus on the table and the gentleman had sat down. "You don't think," the costumer pondered a bit, before adding: "We could seat there?"

"There" was a far of table, table eight to be exact, which was indeed a bit further from the air-conditioning vent than table one was.

The hostess' eyes widened a bit. "Uh… well," she stammered, looking around for an answer. Was she allowed to do that? Change the assigned order. She looked back at the other host, whose facial expression made it clear she was just as lost as she was. Then she looked around, but given that the General-Manager and Head Chef Erina Nakiri was in the kitchen awaiting cooking orders, she was momentarily out of reach. Also, since both Hisako and Julio were back there with her, she couldn't ask either of them anything. At that moment, considering telling the customers to allow her to ask management about that (politely, of course), her eyes met with Soma's; who was looking when he noticed the guests had not yet been seated.

"Can we?" the young lady asked again, still in a polite tone.

The hostess eyes met with Soma's, who nodded.

And it was settled. The hostess, even if informed that that boy was just the Head Busser, was well aware that that guy was Soma "I'm the freaking Runner-Up" Yukihira and she would do as he told her to.

"Sure you can, right this way," she gleefully stated; smile ever present.

After the guests were seated, busy eyeing their menus, the hostess ran towards Soma. "Excuse me," she pardoned herself. "What do I do now?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Um, well, I was supposed to seat table one, but they wanted table eight, so should I still give Andrew the first table?" she explained as Soma looked at the table the guests were seated on.

"Who's got table eight? Originally, I mean."

"Oh, Greta does, erm, did."

"Let Greta keep her table and attend those guests," Soma told the hostess, while adding: "You'll get less mixed up if you just rearrange the seating orders of the waiters than changing their assigned tables. Trust me, you'll be lucky if half the guests we attend tonight seat where their supposed to. Just focus on avoiding double-seating any of the waiters. I'll go inform Greta she has guests waiting."

With that spoken and a smile at the nervous hostess, Soma turned and went to look for Greta, who just now became the waitress with the first seated table. All the while, the hostess just nodded, as the boy host came towards her as he noticed she was unmoving. "Everything okay?" he asked her.

She nodded. "It's just," she added. "That he's so damn hot."

-0-

Soma made his way to one of the service stations, the counters were everything was stored and the computers for placing orders rested. There, seven of the ten waiters of the restaurant were together talking and chatting away. At least, until they saw Soma approaching. Then they all pretended to be cleaning.

"Relax guys," Soma told them. "We're still going slow. So long as you don't keep going slow when more people come in; we're going to be okay." Then he turned toward the Egyptian waitress he was looking for. "Greta, table eight is yours. I know you were eight in line for a customer, but the customer had other plans. Please go and attend to them."

"Oh, okay," the young girl said, pulling out her notepad and pen to take their orders.

"Just remember to suggest something, anything works," Soma told her as she passed by him, clearly nervous about the whole thing. Soma then turned to Andrew, who looked a bit confused, and patted him softly in the shoulder. "Relax, this things happen. Next costumers that come in, should be yours. If they all feel that table one is too close to the air conditioning for their liking, we'll just seat your first table at number eleven or twenty-one, alright?"

"Um… yeah, alright."

"Good, now," he turned to the rest. "And while I did say we are slow, this is just a five hour shift. So just because we don't have costumers doesn't mean there's no work to be done. I want to see you guys studying up those menus and giving Greta a hand if she needs it and you have not yet been seated. Can we do that guys?"

They all nodded, saying things like "sure thing", "of course", or "whatever you say, sir".

Soma just smiled in return, half wondering when did his classmates become so polite.

-0-

"Order up," Hisako announced when their screen flashed and an order was set. "Deep fried shrimp dumplings, a medium order of just six, with potsticker sauce on the side. The also seem to want some edamame with kosher salt as well."

"Got it," Julio spoke as he threw six dumplings into the deep fryer. "Wait, table eight?" he questioned when he saw the table that appeared on screen with the order. "What are those hosts doing? They skipped seven tables."

"As long as they don't double-seat it won't be a problem. Maybe the host got confused or the costumer wanted a different seat," Erina mentioned, placing a handful of edamame into the steamer. "Let's focus on wants important," she added. "To give our customers such a fine taste that they'll feel their eating raw sewage when they go to Hayama's."

So cook they did. Erina oversaw and personally finished both the dumplings and edamame for that first order, showing the back waiter assigned at pantry (as neither order came out at expo) how to place them for display: all six dumplings in a row on a long, thin plate with the potsticker sauce at the end; and the edamame in a bowl, with the kosher salt in the middle in a ramekin. Then Greta came into the kitchen and took both plates out in a tray. Within seconds, the costumers had received their food and were busy eating and enjoying themselves.

Hisako did a quick trip to the table and asked how everything was after about two minutes of them having been served.

They couldn't speak to her because they couldn't remove their faces from their plates; so Hisako took their thumb ups as a good sign.

A few additional tables got filled up by hungry, judging customers; and aside from two other seating complaints, everybody sat where they were suggested. For Soma, he considered the first hour of the event to have run pretty smoothly; more so than he would have anticipated. He would have to admit that Nakiri, for all her attitude problems, did arrange her workers pretty efficiently.

It was nearing 7:45 when Soma first heard of another troubling situation brewing. The guests, another young couple in their twenties, did not have a problem sitting where assigned. In fact, they didn't have much of a problem at all. Their waitress did. First year student Carla from Guatemala had proven with her first table that she did not have any problems conducting costumer service. In fact, Soma had noticed that her cheerful demeanor and go-to attitude had proven to be very useful for them. In fact, her previous costumers had ordered every single thing she recommended, thanks to the fact that she made everything sound so mouthwatering (which, granted, it was). But her current problem was pretty much that exact thing. She couldn't use any of that to her advantage.

"What did you say?" Soma asked her, half wondering why every waiter and waitress came to him with their troubles instead of taking them to Nakiri. He presumed the reason was because he was working up front instead of back in the kitchen like the others; so in a way he was more approachable. He would have told her to go to Nakiri, but the staff were not at fault with the latter's attitude, so Soma would not take out his frustration on them. No other choice but to lend a helping hand then.

"I think they're deaf…" she had trouble putting it to words, Soma noted.

"Deaf?"

"I was going to approach the table and I saw them conversing with sign language…" she explained, clearly a bit nervous. "I didn't hear either one of them speak, and I don't know sign language so I can't communicate with them at all. What do I do?"

Soma just gave the girl a reassuring smile. "Relax, and come with me."

Soma, with a following Carla, went towards the latter's newly seated table (number sixteen to be exact) and with a smile in place Soma did the required introduction, testing Carla's theory. "Good evening folks, my name's So-"

The gentleman quickly interrupted him, not with words but with signals. He signaled his ears, then waved his index finger as if saying "no". Soma nodded at this, giving him a short bow, and proceeded to glide his hand above the menu, as if showing it off. Then he took out his note pad, and a pen, and writing something down. Then he showed him.

'Ready to order?' it read.

The young man nodded, then proceeded to point at an item in the menu. Soma nodded and took note of it. Since the item, stuffed wontons, came with a costumer's choice of two different fillings, Soma pointed at one of the fillings in the menu, and then at the other, all while looking at the young man. Said young man pointed to the crab filling, which Soma took note of.

He repeated this process with the young lady, and after he was done taking their orders, he showed him his note pad, to which they gave him an "okay" sign in approval. Soma then wrote something else.

'You're waitress is going to be Carla, who was a little busy so I lent her a little hand at taking your orders. She'll be right here to take your drink orders and take good care of you. Would this be alright?' it read.

They both nodded and smiled at Soma, who returned the nod and the smile.

Then he left and went towards a waiting Carla, whose wide eyes said it all. "How did you do that?"

"They know their condition better than anyone else, trust me, it's harder for them than it is for either you or me," he stated, his tone soft. "Many people will treat them differently for it, so going out sometimes becomes off-putting for them. But they're just like everyone else. They're not going to expect that you know sign language; so long as you try and communicate with them, be it by writing or by body language, you'll understand one another. So go, I already told them about you so you can take their drink orders, oh," he mentioned as he gave him his notes. "This is their order. They already confirmed it, so it's all good. Make sure they see what you write, so we don't get anything wrong. Okay?"

"…Yeah," the dumbstruck waitress nodded and went towards her table, taking the notepad with her. Soma just stared, as a smile found its way onto his face.

"_That man is blind dad," a six-year old Soma stated, as if it were the most shocking thing in the world. What's a blind man doing in a restaurant?_

"_Is he now?" his father mentioned, his tone as cheerful as ever. "And what's wrong with that?"_

"_Well… what's he doing here? He can't even see the menus, how are we going to cook for him?" a childhood-innocence-level question was asked by the six-year old. His father just gave him a knowing smile before he turned to the other chef in the kitchen._

"_He's starting to ask those questions, should I answer or should you?" Jouichirou asked, as his wife turned from the grill to him._

"_You're getting nervous answering this?" she playfully asked. "I don't want to see your reaction when we have to explain birds and bees."_

"_What's with birds and bees?" Soma asked._

"_Some grown up stuff I'll tell you later," she told him bending down to reach his short level. "As for our guest; you wouldn't like to be treated differently just because you can't do something others can, would you?"_

"_Um… no," Soma stated, but then added. "But I can do lots of stuff!"_

"_Can't reach the counter, now can you," his father added, causing Soma to pout. His mother giggle at that before signaling Jouichirou. The latter nodded and went out of the kitchen and towards the costumer._

"_Watch you father now…" she stated, her eyes locked at her husband's retreating form._

"_Good morning sir, what would you like today?" his father tried and true greeting._

"_Oh, hi!" the man greeted back. "I've been told good things about this place, and judging by this delightful smell, I think they're right. Are you the chef?"_

"_That I am," Jouichirou stated. "Anything in particular you may want to try out, or would you like to hear a few recommendations first?"_

"_Well, truth be told," the man began his description. "I have an old buddy of mine that keeps mentioning one particular pork dish you prepare here. He's told me I simply cannot visit this place and not have it. I think it has-"_

_And as the man described the dish, Jouichirou took notes, asking here and there until they both came to an agreement. Just like he did with every other costumer._

"_See Soma," his mother stated, a glint present in her eyes that he could never really decipher; always directed at his father. "This is how we take care of the people who come here. Tend to their needs. Always meet them halfway."_

"Always meet them halfway," Soma repeated softly, as the restaurant kept bussing around him. More and more people had come over, and as they did, Soma realized something. They were purposely mimicking real life. It was a little over eight o'clock; so it was dinner rush. They place was getting full.

Time to get busy.

…Or it would have been, had he not heard a very unsettling phrase.

"It's not accepting it…" spoke one of the waiters, John, as the English first year tried to jam his finger harder against the touch screen of the order computer. Soma took a few steps towards him, and took a peek at what he was doing.

"Something wrong?" Soma asked.

"Oh, Soma, erm, well…" he fidgeted, but added: "This guy's been sitting there for over an hour, ordering the same exact thing. But now the computer won't let me ring it up."

"Let me see," Soma spoke as John allowed him to reach the screen. "What's the order?"

"Spring Rolls, order of four," John stated, showing him his notepad. "He's already had five previous orders of this stuff, don't know why he wants more, but now I can't seem to get this machine to accept them."

"Weird," Soma stated, unsure of what was going on. He knew how to run a restaurant and cook, but his old place did not have such a sophisticated machine for orders. He just used an old-fashioned pen and paper. "Maybe there's something wrong with this screen, try another one, Nakiri has like six spread around. I'll let her know of the order so that it doesn't take too long to reach the table."

"Okay, thanks a lot."

"No prob," Soma then ran towards the kitchen (well, walked quickly; as running in a high class restaurant wouldn't be, well, _classy_). "Hey Nakiri!" he called for her loudly, causing the two nearby back waiters to stare. Then they got back to work lest they get yelled at by Erina.

"What?" she asked as she poked her head from the side. Soma momentarily stopped; as he saw her. If she had been dirty when they were preparing the restaurant, she looked absolutely filthy now. She was completely sweaty and her clothes were more soaked in oil than he believed the meats were. Then again, this was completely normal for a chef; it just surprised him to see _her _like that. Then he shook her head as she began to frown when he wasn't saying anything.

"One of your machines is acting up," he stated, pointing towards the outside of the kitchen. "John is placing the order on another one, but table twelve is once again ordering four spring rolls."

"Oh, okay, thanks," she then turned around. "Julio, did you hear that. Put four more spring rolls down!"

"Understood," he stated, putting his spatula down (he was preparing something) and picking up the tongs. He opened up the freezer next to him, looked, and stopped. Then he stared. Before Erina could ask, he spoke. "Um… where are they?"

"…Right there." Erina answered, confused.

"…Um… Nope, none here. I believe we need to go find more in the freezer," he stated.

"I'll get them," Soma stated. "The guy ordered them a few minutes ago, so we should prioritize that." So Soma moved towards the freezer, the large walk-in freezer that was currently at negative seven degrees Fahrenheit, a bit lower than it should but nothing that would affect anything in it. Aside from Soma. "Cold," said the jacketless boy. "Okay, gotta go fast. Spring rolls, spring rolls," he repeated to himself as he looked around. "These are made of veggies, so we need this mix," he spoke as he grabbed a bag of chopped vegetables. "And the wrappings, which are…"

There were none.

"That's never good," he felt himself sweat, which was very, very difficult to do at below zero temperatures. So he ran back, actual running this time. He almost slipped too, even with the slip resistant shoes they were all required to wear. "Nakiri, we don't have wrappings for the rolls back there! Do you have any anywhere else?"

"What?" she turned to face him. "What do you mean we don't have wrappings? How many have we sold?"

"About twenty rolls on just that table alone," Hisako stated, checking their screen for the sales. "Table four also ordered eight, and table eleven had two… and I think table twenty had four… wait, no, those were egg rolls… which use the exact same… wrappings…"

"…We've sold quite a few egg rolls, right?" Julio commented, but before he could even get an answer Erina darter out of the kitchen and towards the freezer. As Hisako told Julio to let her handle it and to keep focusing on the other orders, Soma followed Erina; more surprised than anything that she did not slip at all running like that. She really was at another level.

When he reached her, she was in the freezer, going through every single stored box. "No, no, no," he heard her mumble. "The hell? I'm out?"

"We're out?" Soma repeated, as she looked at him.

"How many orders are up?" she asked, her left arm crossed against her chest and her right rested against her left with her hand near her lips. "Yukihira, did you see?"

"Um…" he tried to remember. "Excluding spring rolls guy, we have six more table with orders up and seventeen open menus divided upon seven tables that have yet not ordered anything."

"Damn it," she stated, her tone sounding a bit worryingly. Something he had never heard from her.

"Okay, what do we do?" he asked, and waited.

And waited.

She just looked at him, their eyes meeting. And he noticed. She was biting her nails, moving a bit from side to side. Then he realized what was happening.

"Nakiri! Don't freeze!" he yelled at her, snapping his fingers close to her face; causing her to come back from her thoughts. "Tell me what to do!"

"I, ah, I, we," she tried to think, he could tell she did, but for some reason she was unable to move. "I didn't buy enough, who orders so many rolls in a fancy restaurant? Y-You can get that for like a dollar at any small-time vendor."

"That doesn't matter right now," he told her, grabbing her by the shoulders and giving her a light tug. This caused her to look right at him, and from her eyes, he could see. She was scared. So he inwardly cursed, and suggested: "Just go back to the kitchen and get everything else out. I'll go to the mart here at Tootsuki and buy more."

"What, I can't send you to-"

"We really don't have time for this," his tone got lot stronger, which made her shut up immediately. "What we do have is an appetizer which should be ready in eight minutes already taking six and we have not even prepared it. I'll go buy more wraps, at least enough for a few more orders."

"How?"

"I have a motor bike parked nearby," he told her. "Just give me your imaginary, debit card thingy so I can buy them."

Completely unusual for the Queen of Tootsuki, Erina just nodded and pulled out her card which she had on her side pocket. She gave it to Soma who quickly darted out of the kitchen, this time actually slipping and almost falling if he didn't hold onto the buttocks of the male back waiter who was nearby (who he seriously hoped would not file for sexual harassment in the workplace), and ran out of the restaurant.

Erina breathed in deeply, then moved back into her kitchen.

-0-

Soma realized that his motor bike was a bit further away than he had accounted it to be, so he had to run like crazy to reach it. He quickly got on, started it up, and drove to the nearby mart in Tootsuki which sold pretty much everything. He was sure there were wraps there, since Nakiri most likely got them from there in the first place. All he needed was to get them to the restaurant on time. Time. That was his enemy.

He reached the mart in roughly three minutes, which including the four he had taken running to his motor bike, meant the spring rolls for table twelve were already thirteen minutes in (five more than they should normally take; and they had not yet even began to cook). So Soma ran through the mart, quickly reaching the freezers where he pulled out two bags of wraps.

"This should be enough," he concluded.

Then ran towards the registers… where he was greeted by the longest line he had ever seen at that place. The mart was big, and it had eighteen cash registers, four of which were automated pay-yourself machines. All four were out of service. And only two registers were opened; with equally long lines.

"You've got to be kidding me," he blurted out, before trying a different approach. "Pardon me people," he exclaimed, waving his bags a bit to garner their attention. When most of them looked at the young man waving bags of wraps and almost yelling at them, Soma stated: "This is sort-of an emergency; I just need to buy this two things and I'm out, so if I could be allowed to cut in line just this once; I'd be… be…"

They were all smiling at him.

Soma felt the cold sweat fall down the back of his neck; as the reality of the situation hit him. He remembered his own words.

"_Don't you feel that these people take these events, a bit, I don't know, too extreme?"_

Every single customer at the mart was an actor.

"Are you serious!" he darted out of the mart, leaving the two bags at one of the empty counters. He even considered stealing them, but (1) he'd never do that, and (2) he'd probably get the whole team disqualified if he did. So he just ran back to his bike, started it again, and drove away. "That's right, you idiot!" he shouted at himself. "This is Tootsuki, they're over-the-top at everything. They were expecting something like this! That guy probably ordered the same thing so many times hoping we'd ran out! So Soma, think boy, don't you freeze too," he was now yelling at himself. "If Tootsuki is controlling the mart, it's probably controlling every market, knowing fully well I need wraps… But they can't stop me from buying something out of Tootsuki's grounds!"

So he drove, at speeds a little higher than he should, out of Tootsuki's gates and to the nearest supermarket he could find. He hoped they would have wraps there, since he stopped looking at the clock after he left the mart.

Fortunately for him, the stars aligned and he found a few bags he needed. A cheaper brand, but he was not one to care; Nakiri should expect that. So he took the bags to the cashier, no line in sight, and took out his card…

…His imaginary, _Tootsuki _debit card filled with an imaginary budget whose real world value could be approximately tallied at $0.00.

"Oh, we have a special on these today," the cheery clerk told Soma. "Three of this for just seven dollars; would you like to buy a third?"

"…Sure," said the boy who was thankful he had not forgotten his wallet.

-0-

"Ma'am, um, the costumer is angry."

Those were words Erina did not want to hear.

"What's taking so damn long?" the man from table twelve shouted at Julio, who had gone out before Erina to check up on things. "I ordered those things almost thirty minutes ago! You guys take half an hour to make four spring rolls!"

"Sir, I assure you, we have some-"

"You assure me nothing! Who's your General Manager?" he demanded, and Erina approached the table.

"I am sir," she greeted, he tone professional. The glare she received from him made her blood boil but she swallowed every single word she wanted to say. "We will get your order done shortly, we just had the minor inconvenience of-"

"Minor? You call half an hour, minor?" the he laughed, a loud, angry mocking laugh which Erina felt she's hear in her nightmares tonight. "And I thought I was eating at a fine restaurant! You know what, keep them! Let's go!"

As the man signaled his group (a table of four people with him included), the all stood up to walk away; as John quickly moved to them with the receipt. "Oh, here sir, your bill. The last spring rolls won't be-"

"Oh, I'm not paying for that!"

At this Erina's eyes widened. "Pardon?" she stated, her eyes locking on him. "Sir," she forced herself to remain respectful. "The spring rolls that never came are not in that bill, but the ones you all ate are. You have to pay for those."

"I won't, I won't pay for shit!" the cursing caused her to stammer, as she felt herself in limbo. This could not be happening. "I won't pay for shitty service like this! I came to have a pleasant time with my family; and I have spent the last half hour without any service, no food, the waiter never came for refills nor did any of you come to tell us the order would take longer than expected. So no, you take that bill, and you shove it!"

And as emphasis he shattered a plate against the floor, carefully tossed just near enough to land near Erina's feet without hitting her. It did cause her to jump.

"Hey!" Julio quickly moved towards the guy, who just glared at him.

"Touch me and I'll have you out of business in three seconds flat."

Erina merely placed her hand on Julio's shoulder, holding him back. Then everyone just froze, every other guest looking at the commotion but not saying anything. Then the four ex-costumers walked out of the restaurant; crossing paths with an incoming Soma with to bags of wraps. As Soma realized what was going on, the man just looked at him and smiled. "Evening."

Soma entered the quietest restaurant he's ever been at; with only whispers and murmurs to be heard. He walked towards Erina, crouched down on the floor picking up the pieces of the broken plate. Julio was nearby, who took the bags from Soma with a nod of acknowledgement. Soma, without knowing how to fully respond, bent down in front of Erina.

"Nakiri, I, listen, we-"

"Can you finish picking this up?" she interrupted him, but before he answered he saw them. The tears on her eyes; that she was fighting as hard as she could to suppress. That question alone meant she was losing that fight. So Soma did as he would always do.

"Sure."

The she stood up and went back to the kitchen, as Soma picked up the pieces of their shattered night.

* * *

%


	8. Tuesday

**Rating:** T+

**Pairing:** Soma/Erina

**Genre:** _Slow_ Romance (with even _slower _updates)

**Notes:**

It's going to be a year since my last update… A year! If anyone still cares for this story, which I hope you all do (my apologies if you have to reread anything to remember what was going on), I have good news! Updates will be quicker-ish! I hope. Anyway, let me explain the reason why my updates have been… erm… lacking.

Trivia Time! My inspiration for Nouvelle, as well as my overall passion for Shokugeki no Soma, is pretty much due to the fact that since I began working I've always been involved in the food industry. My first job was at a, surprise-surprise, American-Chinese Restaurant. I worked their first as a busser (hence Soma's predicament), then became a waiter, then trainer, then Assistant Manager.

Then I moved. New job! Another restaurant, this time as a Kitchen Manager. However, just after I last updated Nouvelle, I got a promotion. General Manager of the restaurant. And goodbye hobbies. It took me almost a year, but I'm now able to better juggle my work and my play to be able to have hobbies again, so long story short, I'll be updating again!

Also, Pokémon Go is kind-a distracting…

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

* * *

If a plate breaks in a crowded kitchen, does it even make a sound?

Actually, yes, it does. And Akira was getting tired of the sound.

"We actually need unbroken plates this time Kurokiba," Akira muttered to the man to his left, whose personality had shifted into that berserker rage he was famous for with all the similarly-aged girls around Tootsuki. As Akira spoke, he mentally regretted his decision of teaming up with this beast of a man, who while a genius in his craft, was like a drunken bull in a china shop with anger issues. Why in God's name he had fangirls pinning for this beast was beyond him.

"Then stop moving them near my elbows," Ryou growled back, his body almost entirely inside the deep fryer. "I need my space," he continued, not really removing his head from the inside of the cooking apparatus, causing his voice to resound with echo. "Chimichangas have a very specific time that they need to be pulled out so I cannot be looking to my right to see you decorating plates before the damn chimichangas are even remotely ready!"

"Presentation is key, Kurokiba," Akira's calm-as-one-could-act-to-be voice tried to be the voice of reason, _his_ own reason in any case.

"Which is what I'm doing," he shouted back, the echo of the fryer being that which could be heard. "This shit is heavy so I need arm-room!"

"If you'd stop making so many of them at once, you'd be able to take them of the fryer without having to pull like a beast," Akira spoke, grabbing more meat from the fridge, since by his count of what had been made, they were going to need it. "You know, like a normal person."

"Get a normal person to cook then!"

"Stop shouting!" Alice interrupted, kicking Kurokiba without bothering to turn to face him. She was too busy with the steamer to be bothered, but given that she was standing right behind him, she could make due. "I can't even hear the beeps on this thing with you!"

"You're shouting too!" Kurokiba barked back, but as Akira noted, in a much more respectful and polite way. Which was weird way to classify a shout.

"I'm a lady, we don't shout, we scream in moderation."

"W-What?" he stopped for a moment to just give her a confused look, which got her to smile.

"Made you stop," she spoke with a wink.

Akira just returned to his work, those two were too much of a hassle to even try to understand how they functioned. He did, however, turn his gaze to the last member of the group, characteristically quiet, working with all the cutting on her side without saying much aside from a "please, _this_" or "thanks for _that_". Seeing Megumi work actually calmed Akira down a bit, causing him to smile as he knew he made the right choice of bringing her in as their comfort food specialist.

"Holy shit!"

"That sounded unladylike," Kurokiba muttered, but Alice quickly kicked him again.

"Look at the screen!" Alice moderately screamed at them, not even having the luxury to point since both her hands were rather busy at the moment.

As both Kurokiba (as he was ordered) and Akira (out of morbid curiosity) looked at the screen which told them what each server had ordered; they both felt a shiver of pure horror creep up their spines. The entire screen had just erupted in orders, filling out all eight available slots and with an arrow on the corner suggesting that there were even more orders that the screen just didn't have enough room to show.

"But I just looked at that damn thing ju-"

"Everyone, into the expo immediately," Akira ordered as he interrupted Kurokiba, who only glared at him but decided to just do as he was told. "Nakiri and Kurokiba, you take the even number orders, Megumi and I will take the odd number ones."

Everyone nodded and got into place, two of each side to side, with the other group directly behind them. As Akira bent down to take more flour tortillas from underneath, he noticed Megumi quickly grabbed them, took out an old-looking box cutter from her pocket, opened the bag up and placed them on the table. "…Is everything alright?"

Megumi's voice made him react. He was staring.

"Perfect actually," he grabbed a tortilla and began his magic. "Just keep working."

And work they did.

-0-

"Good work everyone! Today was a success," Hisako lied through her teeth with the biggest smile she could muster, addressing all the "hired" help that were just about ready to leave for the night. "I hope everyone signed their participation sheets, if not, you can do it before you leave. They're over there, where Julio is," she pointed at his "desk", just a regular table with everything removed. "No signature means no grade, so, yeah. Oh, and good night everyone! Hope to see all of you back here during our next round!"

As she waved at them as they exited the building, acting out what she knew Managers would do to their employees upon a good day's work, regardless of the quality of the day itself, she felt someone staring at her. So she turned her attention to Soma.

"Everything okay?" she asked him. He nodded.

"These kids are better at cleaning than they are at costumer service," he noted, before taking a seat at one of the empty seats near Julio. "So, you're doing the employee reports, huh?"

"Unfortunately," Julio muttered, fighting back a migraine. "After that asshole left we had to fill in a report as if we were addressing a dine-and-dasher, so much paperwork for that one stupid idiot that I couldn't even start on this until after we were closed."

"Well, I'm done with my things to do," Soma spoke up with a grin. "Surprisingly the Head Busser's closing duties are simply "make sure everyone cleaned up" and "remind everyone the bathrooms are part of the restaurant". Pretty easy stuff."

"Now you're bragging," Julio responded without even making eye contact. His eyes were glued to the reports he was filling.

"He has the right to," Hisako spoke up, taking another seat. "We ever-so ingeniously made our four-people work load into a three-person load by not using him to his potential."

"Oh come on, you know Nakiri, she's afraid I'd put the signature on the wrong place or whatever," Soma joked around, as Hisako just smiled and took a few sheets from Julio to give him some much needed assistance.

"While I-thank you-," he interrupted himself to thank Hisako for coming to his rescue. "While I stand for milady's wishes and her decisions, if having Soma as part of the team means I'd get less paperwork to do, then by all means, make him my supervisor. I would not argue."

"Good to know Julio," Soma smirked as he laid himself back. "You do like me."

"I tolerate you, slight difference."

"Anyways," Hisako mentioned. "Soma, you're free to go, I know your quality of work, so I know this place is spotless. It's already way past midnight, so go to sleep. We'll get our probably disastrous results tomorrow. I'll text them to you."

"…I should do that, sleep does sound nice," he considered as Hisako nodded to his argument. "But it's dark and scary outside so I do not want to go out there alone, so," he said standing up. "I'll go have a chat with Nakiri until you're all done."

Both Hisako and Julio froze.

"Soma, I really think you shouldn't. Mila-erm, Erina really-" was Hisako's attempt.

"Leave the lady alone, the last thing she needs is you going-" was Julio's attempt.

"That paperwork is not going to finish itself, stop chatting and get to work," Soma's tone was drenched in playfulness and he snapped his fingers at them, all the while standing up and walking to Erina's office. The two aides were left dumbfounded; with their attempts all but downright ignored.

As Soma walked towards Erina Nakiri's office, the only one that could be genuinely classified as an office, he looked around the area. The office was located in the back, so you had to cross the kitchen, the supply room, the chemical room and the walk-in freezers to be able to reach it. The areas were indeed spotless, but the more he looked at them, the more he noticed how Erina herself was. A privately owned restaurant, those that do not fall under franchise stipulations, reflected a lot about the owner with its layout and style. Just like Yukihira's with its laid back and family-friendly look (which he was sure Nakiri would translate as small and cheap); this place just screamed pricey and over-compensating.

Heck, even the door to the office was made with a tinted window, all for the privacy of their queen.

So much for the open-door policy…

Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock… Knock-knock.

"Come in."

Soma stopped, her voice sounded a lot more composed than he would have thought. Then again, she was a strict professional, so maybe his worries were a bit premature. Then his own thoughts surprised him.

"_I'm worried?"_

He shook his head and opened the door. Inside was Erina Nakiri, sitting behind her desk with her computer on and several opened documents systematically placed along her desk. Her expression was that of focus, as she merely turned her gaze towards him as he opened the door, before resetting it back at the screen.

As Soma entered the room, closing the door behind him, he marveled at how organized everything was. If there was one thing Soma would openly admit at being no match to Erina, it would have to be to the latter's attention to detail and just plain organization.

"Done for the day?" she asked him, only the sound of her typing accompanying her spoken words.

"Yeah, everything's clean," he answered back. Strictly business when it came to him, as per usual.

"Good," she spoke, turning to one of the sheets. "I see you paid for the three bags of wraps you brought back with you with your own money. I've already registered it, so tomorrow at the latest I'll have that money in your bank account."

"Oh, yeah, I had forgotten about that," he honestly had. And since when did he have a bank account?

"And a little extra for gas," she added, typing once again.

"Oh, you really don't need to go that far," he ended up muttering. The ambience of this office was… off, somehow. Soma bet he knew why. "Erm, Nakiri, about-"

"You did well today Soma," she told him while turning her full attention to him for a moment. "Thank you for the hard work."

"Okay, now I know something's wrong," he blurted his thoughts out. Granted, he had not meant to, but the point had to be made regardless. "Nakiri, you're thanking me, and calling me Soma? You sure that guy didn't break the plate on your head before I got back?"

As he looked at her expression, he felt a mix of relief and fear. At least he got her glare back.

"Make up your mind then," she spoke in that way that most people speak when they're mad but know that they can't be loud so they speak softly but their expression says it all… or that's how Soma would describe it. "If I make you a busser, your mope around about how I'm treating you like dirt. I praise and thank you, and you think something's wrong. How do you want me to treat you?"

"With honesty I suppose," he mentioned, she just rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the screen.

"Whatever, I'll let you know tomorrow what the results are," she spoke as she began to type again. Soma instead took a seat on the floor in front of her, which while she did not speak, her widened eyes and the brief pause to her typing said a lot.

"You really need more chairs in here…"

"Yukihira."

"Nakiri," he mocked her tone, something which caused all of her fingers to hit a key at the same time. "I know you're upset. You practically locked yourself in the kitchen after that guy left, followed by locking yourself in here after we closed. He's an actor, you know, and a bad one at that. Real clients are worse."

"…If you're suggesting I'm too upset to do my job properly, I'd get up and leave if I were you," she threatened in the most chilling manner Soma had ever heard, without rising her voice in the slightest.

"Contrary, I'm suggesting you're over focusing," he corrected. "Nakiri, I know something that silly is not going to get you down. But it's something that happens way more often than it should. People are jerks, that's the reason the whole "the customer is always right" motto is basically religion in any restaurant, or heck, any place that has customer service. I mean-"

"If this is your pitiful attempt at cheering me up, please stop," she spoke up, looking at him for the briefest of moments. "I'm well aware of how this functions."

"…True, but you've never experienced it first-hand."

She stopped typing.

"You may have read about, studied about, prepared for it, or even seen it happen, heck, you've probably done worse than what that guy did to anyone who's brought a plate that did not satisfy your "God Tongue" more times than you're capable of remembering," as he spoke, he noticed she was still glaring.

"I do not throw tantrums," she corrected. "There's a difference between a professional critic and a personal attack. Tell me when have I attacked someone personally?"

"When we met."

The office felt silent. Erina's expression shifted from anger, to surprise, to concern, to defensive indifference; all in an instant. Soma was actually impressed she could have such range, yet his own expression remained the same, calm yet curious. He waited for her to say something; anything that might disprove him. But she did not, nor did she resume typing (as he would have assumed she would) or turned her attention elsewhere. She kept looking directly at his eyes, unsure of how, or if she should even, respond. When Soma realized she wasn't going to move, he wasn't sure if she was still even breathing, he went on.

"You've always attacked my "commoner" approach and background, saying how I was so "beneath" Tootsuki," he continued. "I may not be a genius or whatever, but I'd say that's pretty personal."

"…I was referring to your previous work experience, that little special-of-the-day restaurant type that you're so proud off, it's beneath Tootsuki's standard," she explained, noticing how Soma's expression showed a slight anger. She didn't care, lash out at her if he wished, he wouldn't be the first tonight. "You've got to understand that, by some miracle, you may just be the exception. But unlike you, and the Aldini brothers to an extent, no other small scale joint foodies have ever survived Tootsuki."

"Small scale joint?" he held back his desire to shout. After all, he was addressing his boss. "Yukihira's is my pride and joy, Nakiri, and by the way, here you are attacking me personally again."

"Oh be real, I'm stating how your Yukihira's is not to Tootsuki's standards, for what it is, for the customers it gets, I'm sure its fine."

"No, it is at Tootsuki's standard, because if you can't see it, I'm here, aren't I?" he had to really fight with himself not to raise his voice at all. "And if you had seen that, had you admitted that, then what happened tonight would not have happened at all."

"Oh really!" she snapped at him. "So you would have saved us all, you would have used your talents to make do with what little scraps we had left. You'd had used what, toilet paper for the wraps?"

"I can make that taste great!" he snapped back. "But I mean I could help, I could cook. I did not get second on that competition because I can clean!"

"My failure tonight was not due to the lack of cooks in the kitchen, but rather the lack of ingredients in our stock," she said firmly. "So I fail to see what would have changed if your role in all of this had been different."

"It could have changed," he crossed his arms as he spoke, but he did have to admit, she wasn't wrong. Would he had noticed the wraps on the verge of extinction? He'd like to think he would had. "But my point still stands, you do attack personally, which is the reason you refuse to let me help. It's because I'm, in your point of view, beneath you and this restaurant you made here."

"Do you really think your little shop could even be considered close to what I have here? This is not even apple and oranges we're talking about," she moved her papers aside as she spoke, clearly focusing all her attention on him at the moment. "This place is not even real, yet it is still miles above anything any little specialty shop could muster."

"Not Yukihira's."

"Especially Yukihira's."

"…Why are you so bent on insulting my store?" he was on the verge of quitting right there and then as he spoke, something he had never done before. The look on her face made it clear she wanted to fire him too.

"I can ask you the same," she echoed his statements. "Why are you so bent on defending it? You've seen what Tootsuki is, you've seen the quality, why do you have so much pride on something so insignificant?"

"Because it was significant to my mom!"

"And who c-" then she stopped herself. Soma was a little out of breath, as that last statement was shouted far louder than he had intended. But Erina froze, her thoughts focused on his words. Or rather, the tense used in them. _Was_ significant, past tense. Meaning…

And she felt like crap.

"…I'm sorry," she voiced, her whole body language shifting into something less imposing; a strange softness to her tone that Soma had not heard her use, much less being directed at him. "I stepped out of line."

"…Don't worry…?" he wasn't sure how to respond.

The she smiled, resting her head against her palms in a thinking position, as one would when fighting back a headache or tears, there was no way to tell. Soma couldn't really see her eyes. "Mothers are great aren't they?" she spoke up, with Soma unsure if she was asking him or not. "Always warm and welcoming, yet utterly frightening if you get them mad…" she chuckled a bit. "Yet, they do make the best food."

"Funny you should mention that,"

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing," Soma stood up as he spoke, feeling a bit awkward as her eyes were now once again firmly set at him. "Mom was the best cook I've ever known, and my pops is not a slouch in that department so to speak, but she was something else."

"Both your parent's cooked?" she asked, which caused him to realize that they had never really converse much prior to this. All it took was a heated argument that nearly ended with him getting fired; who'd have known?

"Yeah, dad still does," Soma mentioned. "He's pretty big in some places, truth be told I'm here because he sent me here. He studied here actually."

"Oh, that's… wait, what? You're the son of an ex-alumni?" she seemed more surprised about that than anything else he had been telling her. Dad's a world famous cook? Believable. Mom's even better? Sure, why not. Dad sent me here? Someone had to have done so. He studied here? OUTRAGEOUS!

"…Yes, Nakiri, he did."

"Did he drop out?"

"…No, Nakiri, he didn't."

"He's a graduate!"

"…Yes, Nakiri, he is."

"And he openly acknowledges you as his son?"

"…Yes, Nakiri, he-hey! My dad is mighty proud of me, I think, and he's a great chef," he argued against her, but unlike their last outburst, he noticed something he had never seen. She had her hand against her lips, suppressing her erupting laughter. It took him a bit to notice. "…You were joking, weren't you?"

"H-half joking," she spoke between chuckles, as Soma noticed just how soft her laughter really was. Was everything about this girl so stereotypically princess-y? And was that a bad thing?

"Nakiri, I think we've always been doing this wrong," Soma spoke to her, his tone serious yet still as laidback as he always was. "This shouldn't be a fight of fancy versus casual, or about who has the best pedigree or whatever. This should be about improvement, about… I don't know, being better."

"…Is that so?"

"I'm being serious here, okay," he felt he was asking for permission, but he digressed. "Nakiri, I want to be the very best there ever was; so I need to keep improving. You're already great, and a lot of people know it," she tensed a bit at that part, her attention still on him but her eyes averting themselves a bit. It felt weird to be praised by him to her. Soma didn't noticed. "But I know you want to be better, and tonight's prove of that. Because when that guy did that, you came back to work, you focused on your craft and you really never made a single other error. And believe me, I know how it is to lose. You still have round two, I don't… not unless you make this my round two as well."

"So, you still want to be a cook with me?"

"I want to do this together, you, Hisako, Julio and me, all of us beating all of them," he was firm in his tone, and in his eyes. "Nakiri, do you know what we call a day like this one we just had back at Yukihira's."

"…A lousy day?"

"Tuesday."

"Well, if it happened on a Tuesday, then it kind of makes sense," she narrowed her eyes and gave him a "are you a moron" look, to which he just smiled.

"No, I mean that we call in Tuesday because it can happen just about any day, and it, without fail, happens every other day," he explained, then she understood what he was trying to get across. "This stuff happens, and it will happen again, and again, and again… and we can't really predict when it'll happen or prevent it. What we can do, nonetheless, if control how we react to it, and prepare ourselves for it. And after a while, it won't face you, it won't scare you anymore."

"I wasn't scared!"

"I was," he said it so matter-of-factly that it surprised her, but more of a surprise was the follow-up comment. "I mean, I had never seen you cry."

"I wasn't crying!" she stood up, arms on her desk, almost screaming; face flushed. She had thought she had hidden it well.

"Oh come on, you sure were."

"I-I… how dare you even suggest-"

"Oh come now, I've thrown tantrums too," he admitted, surprising himself since he too liked to keep those things private. No matter he'd guess. "That night after I lost the tournament, really about just after you came to rub my loss on my face-" she flinched. "-I locked myself in my room and had Tadokoro not come in, I'd have made Alice look like the most emotionally stable person in the world."

"Alice?" her cold, slightly menacing tone caught him off guard.

"Yeah, your cousin…"

"Alice?" same tone, just with a glare to match.

"…Do we know someone else by that name, I know I'm horrible with names," he was honestly confused. Was there another Alice? "You know, Nakiri part two."

"I know who you mean," she was still pissed off, for some reason. "Since when are you on first name basis with _her_?"

"First-name basis?" he thought about it. "I didn't even notice it really."

Every single girl you talk to or about you refer to them by their last name, like Megumi or myself; or by their nickname like Hishoko or Nikumi, which is beyond insulting actually."

"To be fair, for the longest time I thought her name was Hishoko, nobody bothered to correct me, its Hisako right?" his question seemed to anger her more.

"Oh, first-name basis with my friend too?" she pouted and crossed her arms across her chest, turning her head to the side with a scoff. "I'll have you know she's not an easy girl."

"Easier than you, that's for sure."

She was going to pretend he meant it in the none-insulting way.

"Anyways, you made me go off topic, _Erina_," he mockingly called her by name, something which he was sure would simply annoy her, but to his surprise, she just looked at him. Her eyes focused, for the briefest of moments, before the softened and she said nothing. Was she giving permission? "I-I mean, my point was," why was it getting harder for him to speak? "This stuff happens, and if we work together, we can help each other."

"And what do you recommend?" she simply asked. "That I-hey!"

The last thing Erina expected was to have Soma suddenly inches from herself, his hands holding hers as tightly as he could without actually hurting her.

'_He has a strong grip…'_

"Use me Erina," he spoke words one should not use directed at an unmarried lady, or at least that's what crossed her mind. "Let's win this, let's show them what we can really do. Let me help you. I'll push aside the fact that you're bossy and think way too highly of yourself for it be healthy," he decided it was best to skip the descriptors based on her returning glare. "…And if you can overlook the fact that I'm a commoner and whatever other slighting terms you use against me, then we'd be able to make this work."

He finished his made-up on the spot speech, and was failing at reading her emotions. She was currently unreadable, her eyes being fixed on his, yet her lips were not forming a smile nor a frown. At that moment, Soma wondered if he was biting of more than he could chew. Granted, Erina was just like any other student in a way, but the truth was she was the princess of this whole academy. So with him asking for a partnership from her made him sound quite similar to Akira. To be treated like a Tenth Seat. Was that the way she was interpreting his words? Before he could clarify, she spoke…

…words he didn't expect.

"Is that how an employee asks for a promotion?" she asked in a strange mixture of sarcasm and playfulness that caught him off-guard, to which he was utterly unable to form a coherent reply. When she noticed his probably dumbfounded and downright dorky look in his face, she added. "Alright, then, _Soma_," same tone, with smile. "You're with me… in the kitchen."

Then came his grin. "You will not regret it!"

"…I'd hope not," she smiled back. "Now let go of my hands."

"…Sure," as he let go, he turned back. "I'll start by checking on our two other partners, see if they need any help, then I'll send them home since they looked exhausted and I'm pretty fresh, so I can come back and help you finish here and then we can go back, well I'll take you to your house and then I'll go back to Polar Star Dorms and-"

"Wait! Why are you giving yourself orders, and don't send Hisako home yet, and why are _you_ taking _me_ home; I have a limo on call ready to… Hey! Are you even list-" he was not, as she noticed as she was speaking. Soma had, in his eagerness, ran out the office, and as she stopped herself from continuing to talk to the air, she could hear him talk to Hisako and Julio. Probably sending them home. Hisako sounded shocked. Julio sounded asleep.

So the princess thought for a moment.

Then she called.

"Yes, this is Erina," her voice was professional as could be, yet a bit unsure. "Oh no, no need… I… I have another method of going home. Tell grandpa I'll be there soon…"

-0-

The lights were dark when they reached Polar Star Dorm.

Everything was eerily quiet, which meant something was up. The residents that lived under the Polaris were never a group to be all sleeping soundly, even if it was nearly two-thirty in the morning.

So it meant they were all there, waiting for the door to open to pounce. Like a bunch of sugar-high children. Even Fumio.

…Especially Fumio.

So Megumi mentally prepared herself for the scare. She hated surprise birthday parties because of it. Because even if she knew the surprise was coming, even if she knew for sure when it was going to happen, she always got scared and screamed and then felt embarrassed about it. Because it was stupid.

"Here we are, Ms. Tadokoro," the driver of the limo spoke up, causing her to stiffen. She still thanked him, as he held the door open for her.

"So, um," she turned to the others on the limo. Her teammates. "We'll call one another for our next meeting right?"

"That we will," Akira assured her, in his mind regretting taking her home first as it meant he was going to be stuck with just Alice and Ryou until they reached Nakiri Manor. Ryou was just looking out the window, looking directly at the dorm, his expression unclear. Alice, on the other hand, was resting her head on Ryou's shoulder, and had pushed the boy to the far side of the seat just so she could rest her legs on it, as if she was on her bed.

"Oh okay," Megumi spoke, giving a soft bow. "It was fun working with you all."

"Take care Megumi," Alice cheerfully added, turning her head to face the younger-looking girl to do so. "I'm sure we won this one."

Ryou simply nodded.

"Right," Megumi smiled and began to walk towards her dorm.

"Hey, Akira," that was Alice, which made Akira sigh. Megumi had not taken three steps and she was already winding up. "You should walk her inside, not very gentlemanlike to just leave her here after she worked her surprisingly well developed ass for you."

He stepped outside.

As the driver decided to wait for the young man, Akira walked right up to a retreating Megumi, which caused her to stop put of confusion. "I'll walk you to the door, least I could do."

"…Oh, okay,"

And they walked, yet didn't really talk. He just led her to the door, and waited until she took out her keys and unlocked it. Then she turned to him. "I didn't expect you to be like this, thank you."

"…Neither did I," he answered truthfully, since he wasn't sure if he stepped out because he wanted to get away from Alice for a bit or if what she had said about Megumi was right, the first part at least. "See you tomorrow, or later given the time."

"Right…"

So he walked away, back to the limousine as she went inside.

She closed the door, then rested her back against its frame, and allowed her body to slide downward until she was sitting on the floor. She was exhausted, but beyond happy. It was a weird feeling really. She had never felt it this way. She felt happy for simply being herself, not trying to reach something, but rather for what she already had. It was surreal in a way, as it is in that age.

"SURPRISE!"

She screamed.

-0-

Soma and Erina locked the front door of the restaurant at exactly four in the morning, with just them there. Hisako had left, after asking Erina twelve times if she was sure, alongside Julio since the latter's migraine had gotten worse and Erina knew if he didn't take medications for it he'd be bedridden all day tomorrow. Hisako and Julio took the limousine.

Soma and Erina didn't.

So here she was, wearing her coat, covered from head to toe, standing next to a stupid-looking Soma.

"Erina, where's your limo?"

She was a fool for doing this.

"You said you'd take me home!" that sounded wrong to her. "To my home!" she added.

"Oh, okay!" his over enthusiastic reaction made her wonder if he was still seeing her as his boss… who's she kidding, when did he ever see her that way? "Get on!"

It was then she realized her mistake.

He was sitting in his bike, leaving just enough room on the seat for her.

"Are you insane!" she asked an obvious question. Of course he was, was he expecting her to ride that, her, wearing a skirt! "We were going to walk!"

"What, do you even know how far that is," he stated as if it were so obvious that he had always meant the bike. In all its single seat glory. "Have you ever ridden one?"

"Do I look like I have?"

"Great, first time then," he stated as he turned it on, the reversed a bit back to reach where she was standing. "Then get on."

"I refuse," she spat out. "I'll just call a limousine, you can, just, go."

"Oh come on, what's with you girls," he scratched his head, before realizing he was wearing his helmet, the just sighed. "Fine, I'll wait her with you, in this cold, although we should really go back inside. But I mean really," he continued to mutter, as Erina tried to ignore him as she took out her phone. "Tadokoro didn't want to ride with me either, so is it the bike, I think it looks cool."

"Wait, what?" Erina stopped her dialing.

"I think it's cool!" he expressed with an even greater amount of pride, which made her want to smack his helmet to the opposite direction.

"Megumi hasn't ridden with you?"

"Uh, no, she said it was too scary, or something to that extent," he stated, trying to remember her exact words. Something about how she couldn't possibly or something.

"Take me."

"Huh?"

"Home," she clarified, putting the phone back in her purse. "Now give me room."

So Soma turned his bike back on, gave her room on the seat, and she reluctantly took a seat behind him. She has ridden plenty of horses before, so she knew how to seat, especially being self-aware of pinning her skirt under her to avoid any unnecessary circumstances. "So," he spoke up, turning his head backwards to face her. "This is going to sound stupid since I realize I didn't think this through, but… you wouldn't happen to have a helmet on that purse of yours."

Her glare said it all. "Why would I even, I mean, ugh, I feel stupid," she motioned to get off. "There are so many reasons this won't work that I should just-hey!"

In what was becoming a norm for them tonight, Soma interrupted her not with words, but with his actions. He removed his helmet and placed it on her head. "There, fixed."

"…And you," she tried to make her tone sound nonchalant. She failed.

"I have a hard head," he joked. "You off all people should have noticed. Now hold on to me."

"Hard head, this is serious Soma, traffic safety is nothing to be tri-ahh!" she was forced to grab him across the chest as he began to drive forwards. Once he felt her arms around him, he speed up, driving into the road and heading towards Nakiri Manor. It felt so different from riding a horse for her, the speed and the baffling gust of air that caused her to shake from head to toe and involuntary clench tighter to him. And it was here she noticed, that unlike herself, he smelled like cologne. A decidedly cheap one, but since she wasn't an expert on body fragrance as she was with culinary arts, she couldn't really tell them much apart. It… worked fine for what it needed.

"You haven't fainted back there, have you?" he shouted, so she could hear him.

"…Just drive," she ordered, he said nothing. She imagined he smiled, he was good at keeping his cool even in the worst situations. And by that she meant the worst one could face in a kitchen. Because right now it was different. He was dealing with her. And she could feel his heartbeat rising.

'_Got you nervous, huh?'_

The ride was surprisingly short, which Erina accounts to Soma not following the rules of traffic safety very faithfully, but she was tired so she digressed. "And here we are," he stated, like if he was making an announcement. "One princess, to her castle."

"Smartass," she muttered as she got off, signaling at the guard standing nearby to stop having a heart attack and that everything was alright.

"So, tomorrow you'll call or text or whatever how were doing and what we need to do to fix it, right… Erina?" he was confused by her eyes, since she was staring at him with a serene look on her face. A look he had never seen her give, but one that felt so nostalgic that it gave him a sense of déjà vu. It was the same look his-

She placed the helmet on his head, in reverse, blacking out his whole vision. "Sure, I'll text you later about our probably disastrous results," she teasingly spoke. "Drive carefully will you."

As he lifted the helmet enough to reach over his eyes, he saw her retreating form entering the manor through its opening gates. And there he remained, with just the sound of the motor from his bike echoing in the night, no longer even the least bit tired.

-0-

"I'm working on it father," a late working Etsuya Eizan spoke up to his phone, rested between his right ear and right elbow, while both his hands typed on his laptop. Cursing himself for losing his earphones so he could go hands-free the easier way, Etsuya logon on to the campus website. The Ninth Seat took a moment too look at the results, his brow raising slightly. "I got everything almost set," he mentioned, making a mental note to order new earphones before he went to sleep tonight. "The results are already online."

With a 78% of votes in its favor, Akira Hayama and his team were the clear victors of the first round of the competition.

His father mentioned something to him, which caused him to smile in return. Dear old dad, always worrying of unnecessary things. When will he learn what his son was capable of doing?

"Just relax will you," Etsuya stated, clicking on Team Erina plus 1, bringing up their bios. "You know how much I hate predictable stories."

* * *

%


	9. Much Ado About?

**Rating:** T+

**Pairing:** Soma/Erina

**Genre:** _Slow_ Romance (But Getting _FASTER_)

**Notes:**

I'm so grateful for the amount of feedback this last update got. Glad to know so many of you are still interested in seeing where I'm taking this story. But, do not be discouraged if I go into a miniature hiatus again (hopefully I don't), because I do not intend on leaving this story incomplete. I write for myself first and foremost, because I love it and because it's the best stress relief I can get when I'm not with family or friends. And I share it with you all, because then I feel like I am with friends, even if it's for just the short time it takes each of you to read the chapter(s).

Also, I noticed that my last update, which I made on July 24, 2016; seemed to disappear from Fanfiction's website. Thanks to PMs from raydark182, Driver1985 and badliar 2312; I managed to get the problem fixed, but it appears I'm not the only one who has experienced this. Seems like the website has a glitch that sometimes fails to load a new chapter or new story. Just a heads up.

Remember to check my Polls on my Profile Page! I change them every other update!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

* * *

How would you describe a sunrise to someone who has never seen one?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder afterall…

If such a task were to fall into the hands of Satoshi Isshiki, he'd give a simple answer…

Warm.

A sunrise is warm, but it should not be taken too literal, for there are times (particularly in the winter season) where the time that a sunrise happens also happens to be the time that the weather outside is as cold as cold can be. But by warm, he'd mean in the sense of the feeling you get when you are at ease. When you are surrounded by people you like, doing something you like; just enjoying being _you_. That sensation of satisfaction is how Isshiki would best describe a sunrise. Especially, because in his particular case, he was usually up and about before the sunrise came. So seeing it, for him, had become a part of his daily routine every morning. The "go" sign that signified his day was about to start.

And today was no exception.

Isshiki got up, as per usual near four o'clock in the morning, which gave him enough time to have a strong breakfast, shower, and prepare himself just shy of five o'clock. And, while his fellow roommates slept, he had "Polaris Sweet Polaris" to himself. He checked his emails for updates on his business endeavors, he prepared himself a good, balanced breakfast (nothing too fancy, just the essentials), he took a warm shower to wash of the morning chill, he gave himself a close shave (he hated having a moustache), he waved at Soma as the redhead jogged by the window, he ironed the shirt he would wear for the day, he outfitted himself in his early morning work clothes (even labor required good taste), he texted a friend who had her birthday today (was he the first to congratulate her?), he walked down the stairs too…

…Soma was doing what now?

Isshiki rubbed his eyes as he walked outside, half of it due to the fact he was still somewhat sleepy, but half because he saw a new sight that was not a part of his early morning ritual. There was Soma Yukihira, the rebel amongst rebels who wanted nothing more than to be top dog of Tootsuki, just jogging in place outside the dorm; smiling and waving at him.

"Morning upper-classmate of mine," Soma spoke in a surprisingly cheery tone despite the fact that the sweat on his brow indicated he had been jogging for a while. "Busy day today?"

"…Morning Soma," Isshiki responded with a similar tone, returning the positive vibes. "Not as much as yours it would seem."

"Oh, me?" Soma questioned as he pointed at himself with his index finger. "Oh, you mean the early morning exercise. I just couldn't sleep, so my dad always told me exercise tires the body, so I thought jogging a bit would make me tired, but I don't think it is working."

"I'm honestly surprised Soma," Isshiki walked up to the younger boy, still jogging in place at a steady rhythm. "Considering your first match was yesterday night, and I went to bed before you even got home, I would have thought you'd be in a coma until tomorrow. You were given the day off for that very reason."

"When you're just a busser you don't tire yourself much," he explained. "Well, that's not true. When you supervise two bussers and pretend like you're working you don't tire yourself much…" he stopped for a moment, before looking at Isshiki dead set in the eyes. "Wanna jog?"

"Sure! Lead the way," was his response.

As the two began to jog, taking a different route from Soma's earlier runs, they didn't speak until after they had set themselves at a steady pace and rhythm. "About what you just said," Isshiki was the first to continue the conversation. "Didn't I see you run all across Tootsuki searching for wraps last night? Surely that was a tiring process."

"Oh, yeah, but wait. You saw that?"

"Oh, everyone did," Isshiki said as he pointed at a nearby street lamp they were about to pass by. On top of it was a camera, recording everything on its predetermined path. "Not only was the event televised, here in Tootsuki at least, but once you rushed out of "Golden Locks", the live feed from Erina's side of the Shokugeki constantly shifted from her effort on the kitchen with Hisako and Julio, to your efforts of buying the wraps. The only thing they couldn't capture was when you left Tootsuki to shop outside. You looked a bit exasperated."

"Sometimes I really hate these people…" Soma muttered, as Isshiki placed his hand on his underclassmen's shoulder.

"I know they're extreme, but it's part of the charm," Isshiki stated, as both he and Soma stopped their jog at an intersection. They weren't allowed to cross the street at the moment. "Besides, all eyes are on you at the moment. I know you well enough to know you're ecstatic about that."

"True," Soma admitted. "But it's tiring to have so much pressure on you, I mean, and I was just a busser. I can't even imagine how it's going to be after everyone knows Erina finally made me her partner."

"Yeah, you're going to get bombarded by-" _'Wait…' _"-Can you repeat that?"

"Oh, right," Soma realized what Isshiki meant. He'd better clarify. "Erina made me her partner, or something to that extend. I don't have a job description or anything, but from what she told me last night that's what I got out of her from, as she put it, "doing well today". Or tonight, I guess, it was pretty late when I took her home, but I admit she was in the best mood I've ever seen her after I left her house."

"…Pardon?" Isshiki understood that in an entirely different context.

"Oh, I took her home after we were done in her office," Soma failed to clarify. "She can get extremely loud though, so much so that I had to get rough with her, and I never behave like that with girls."

"…Pardon?" Isshiki was repeating himself. "Soma, I know you, or at least I hope I do. You're probably talking about something else, but did something happen between you and Erina last night?"

"Just what I told you," Soma repeated. "It basically went like this: I went to her office and locked myself in there with her, she glared, I shouted, she screamed, then we came-"

Isshiki felt lightheaded.

"-to an understanding of if we wanted to beat Akira, we needed to join forces. We talked a bit, she agreed to give me a promotion; and since it was late by the time we finished, I took her to her house, left her at the gate, then I came back to Polar Star. Wasn't feeling tired, so I started jogging."

"…Oh," Isshiki gave out a sigh of relief, he really had to stop listening in to Daigo and Shoji's "tales of conquest". They were starting to rub off on him. "You had me worried there for a second."

"Huh?" Soma was confused. "Why?"

"The way you were saying it made it sound like you had slept with Erina last night," Isshiki calmly stated. It took Soma five full seconds to register what he had just been told.

"…Why are you thinking that?!" he screamed, neither noticing they had stopped jogging nor that the light had changed seven times already. "Why would I?! Why would she?! Why would we?! I mean, no, we, why?!"

"Hormones I suppose," Isshiki answered truthfully. "Glad that wasn't the case. It would have shocked me so much had it been true. I'm genuinely surprise you know what intercourse even is. Seems like you'd be one of those late bloomers who only thinks about their passion, culinary arts in your case, that doesn't start noticing girls (or guys) until later on in life."

"…Isshiki, of course I know what… _that_ is," Isshiki noticed that as Soma spoke he was blushing. Adorable. "My dad explained it to me when I was thirteen, with a chicken, himself and an egg-"

That sounded like a… unique explanation…

"-So I'm informed," he continued, not noticing Isshiki's bemused expression. "But get your head out of the gutter. She and I have a professional relationship, of sorts. Plus she hates my guts, can't forget that."

"Well, I'm glad to hear about that; your promotion I mean," Isshiki clarified. "With you two working together, I'm sure Akira's chances of getting a seated position at Tootsuki took a huge nosedive. As long as you two work well, of course."

"Are you kidding me?" Soma's grin was back in full swing. "I'm like white rice. I complement anything and everything!"

Isshiki just gave the younger boy a big smile. He liked this boy too much. Anyone ever tried to cause him (or any other one of his fellow dorm inhabitants) to lose their smiles; they'd have to deal with a very angry Isshiki. And there are some people you don't want to see angry. But, that aside. "Soma?"

"Huh?"

"But why are you so restless then?" he pondered out loud. "You did do a lot, so you should feel tired. The only possible explanation I can think of, that fits the scenario at least, is that you can't sleep because a certain blonde haired princess pops into your head every time you close your eyes."

Soma's face was priceless.

"I told you it's not like that!" he was pouting as he shouted. "Don't go twisting my words."

"Come on, let's go, we have a jog to finish," Isshiki carried on as if Soma had declined to comment. Soma just blinked as Isshiki carried out his jog, picking up the pace to make up for lost time. Soma answered in kind, almost running after the elder boy.

"Listen to what I'm saying!" was the first thing many people heard from a distance that morning.

-0-

It was the vibrating of her phone that disrupted her dreams.

Erina reached out from under her covers to pick it up, knocking off the table what she presumed was her hair brush she usually left there, before managing to grab her cellphone. It was a text, from Tootsuki. Or rather, it's automated service. She read it with foggy vision, thanks to her just opened eyes, and frowned at the message.

"Twenty-two percent only," she scoffed at the rating, placing her phone next to herself on the bed; while she covered her eyes with her arm, the soft fabric of her sleeves blocking out the light from her vision. "That's even worse than I had presumed. Ah, damn, I really need Soma…"

She jumpstarted her body, landing in a seated position, shaking her head in an effort to wake up. If her phone was any indication, it was already almost seven in the morning. Two hours and a half would have to do for sleep today. She had a lot of preparations to get ready so that she could get a head start from Akira. And she hated to admit that she needed them. So she moved…

…Then landed back on the bed, face first.

"…Maybe just twenty more minutes…"

She slept until noon.

-0-

By the time Soma and Isshiki got back to the dorms, Polar Star was staring to look alive, with the delicious aroma of their passions already filling the area. Soma took a deep breath, to let himself enjoy that wonderful pre-taste of what was to come. From the smell of smoked bacon, he could tell it was Shun behind the stove this morning. And boy did that sound so appetizing right now.

"You know, I had no intention of jogging this morning, but I'll gladly make this part of my morning routine if you'd join me Soma," Isshiki stated, finally stopping his jogging and returning to walking. "But, if you'll excuse me, my duties await."

"Oh, sure," Soma spoke as he gave Satoshi a nod. "Go for it, I'll try to get a pity meal out of Shun."

As Isshiki walked off, Soma turned his attention to the dorms, and was ready to eat a delicious morning dish of juicy, crispy smoked bacon with whatever else Shun decided to mix it up with before he was tugged by the sleeve. He turned, and admittedly, he wasn't that surprised.

"You don't really let a single instance slip you by," he sighed in a mixture of annoyance and acceptance. "…do you Mitsuru?"

"Early bird, although seeing you, you're even earlier than me," the younger boy, reporter "extraordinaire", noted. "So Soma, any comments on your match yesterday? Because I know you never let a defeat bring you down, I'm sure you already have a plan to counterattack, right?"

"I already told you, I don't do-Defeat?" he shouted the last word. "Are the results out? We lost? Damn it, I thought that maybe my running around would have won us some fans… It was just that guy… Wait, how do you know the results?"

"Erm…" Mitsuru paused for a moment. He decided to start with just the final question. "Everyone knows. Someone leaked the results online, it's already all over the news. Which is why I'm here. I need the first scoop of your thoughts…" pause. "Wait," another pause. "You didn't know?"

"No!" he clenched his fists as he spoke, that feeling of loss once again rearing its ugly head. "I mean, it was pretty much given. Last night Erina mentioned it when I took her home, but damn, I had hoped maybe for a draw at worst."

"Um, no, it was a lost… I'm sorry, I didn't know, that you didn't know," the younger boy spoke softly. "But, hey, it's just the first match. You've beaten worst odds."

"Yeah," Soma responded. The young boy's attempts at cheering him up may not get a smile out of Soma, but at least the frown diminished. "But wait, someone leaked the results?"

"Yeah," Mitsuru explained. "Out of the main servers of Tootsuki. Only staff have access. Not even the Elite Ten work with the results, to avoid any biased motivations. They have no idea who did it, or why."

"That," Soma pondered for a bit. "Doesn't seem like it'll concern me much… But, what were the results exactly?"

"Seventy-eight percent in favor of Akira Hayama's group," Mitsuru answered, half wondering who was interviewing who. "You guys scored-"

"Just twenty-two!"

"Yeah, that."

"I-I…" Soma couldn't speak, but he managed to leave his mouth half open trying. Mitsuru was worried about him that he was tempted to intervene, but Soma reacted in time by running towards the dorms. "We'll finish this later Mitsuru," he shouted to the boy. "I've got to do something about this!"

So Mitsuru was left outside, again, without an interview to publish, again.

"…Hm," he murmured to himself as he stood there. Taking out his cellphone, Mitsuru made a quick dial to his "office", or rather he just called his classmate who was in charge of the news club. "Yeah, hey, it's me."

"Hey," a rather cheerful greeting came from the other line. "So, did you get the interview with Soma Yukihira this time?"

"…Would you be surprised if I said no?"

"Not really," was the honest reply. When had Mitsuru actually gotten an interview out of Soma anyways? "So, nothing on your front then?"

"Yeah, nothing here," Mitsuru spoke, his disappointment evident. Still, for what it was worth, their "chat" did seem to have motivated Soma, so there was that at least. "I basically just answered his questions if I'm being honest," he admitted. "All I got from his was his usual shock at having "lost", his characteristic determination to not do so again, and that Miss Erina Nakiri had told him about their upcoming lost when he took her home last night. Nothing that we could re-"

"Took her home?"

"-ally do-Huh?" Mitsuru interrupted himself. "Yeah, he said that. Is it newsworthy?"

Was is ever.

-0-

It was already noon when her grandfather walked into her room. Senzaemon Nakiri took a look at his little girl, all rolled up into a ball and fast asleep, and was tempted to just let her sleep some more; but he knew she had stayed up late last night working and she needed to eat. As the Director of the Academy he couldn't help her at all in the competition, but as her grandfather he was not going to let her health be affected by the lack of good nutrition. If anyone thought that that was cheating, well, they could try arguing against him.

Keyword: try.

"My dear," he whispered as he stroked her hair softly, taking a seat at the edge of her bed. "It's already past noon Erina, the chefs are done with your breakfast. I think you'll really like this one."

"…Mm'kay," her drowsiness was evident in her voice and tone; which made Senzaemon chuckle a bit. This was far from the image that Tootsuki's "ice-queen" cultivated around here; especially with her Sailor Moon pajamas. He waited until she sat up, rubbed her eyes, yawned a bit, and then turned to face him. "Morning grandfather…"

"Morning dear," he answered in kind. "Rough night I imagine?"

"…You saw it didn't you, it was a disaster," she narrowed her eyes as she spoke, the memories of the previous night now coming back to her. A pity too, since her dreams had been so peaceful. "I need to call Hisako and plan my next course of action. I didn't want to acknowledge this, but I'm at risk of losing my seat."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, you are a very smart and talented girl, so I don't doubt you'll get something done," he assured her, but as she got up, he placed his hand on her belly and pushed her back down on the bed. Then he began to tickle her.

"Hey!" she shouted as she erupted in laughter. "Stop! I'm not a kid! Grandpa! Okay! Okay! I'll eat first! I'll go eat!"

"That's what I thought you said," he mentioned as he stopped tickling the now gasping for air heiress, who still let a chuckle or two escape her lips while she tried to fix her now messed up hair. "You'll have more time than any to fix your mistakes and get back at Akira, then next competition is in a week after all," he reminded his granddaughter. "But, as your grandfather I will not allow you to fall ill or mistreat yourself. That's what grandpa's do."

"I know," she spoke as she got up, eyeing his "surprise-tickling" hands. He motioned his right hand towards her, causing her to let out a playful shriek and jump backwards. "Stop! I'm going."

"Good," he mentioned, before his eyes seemed to light up briefly. He had meant to ask her something after all. "Oh, and before I forget."

"Hmm?" Erina could be heard murmuring through closed lips as she washed her teeth on her bathroom, with only her head pocking out the door to face her grandfather.

"Soma brought you here last night, right?" he asked her, while taking out a rolled up newspaper out of his sleeve. "Security told me you called to cancel the ride home, and they mentioned how you arrived with him at around four-twenty last night… Or this morning I guess."

She nodded. Spit. Floss. Mouthwash. Minty!

"I know you well Erina, so I know you just got brought here and nothing really happened," as he spoke, Erina felt a bit weird. Her grandfather usually started a line like that if he was going to scold them for something (as both she and Alice had become accustomed to). But she hadn't done anything wrong. I mean, she lost the first part of the Shokugeki, but that's not reason enough for him to scold her. He even encouraged her to put that aside and to feed herself properly first. Still, when he spoke like that, with a noticeable pause, it meant it would be followed by a "but" and an explanation. "But," and there it was. "You should be more mindful of how you present yourself. Seems Soma Yukihira took your actions last night a bit different from how I'm sure you intended."

And that meant?

"I don't follow," she got out of the bathroom and gave him a puzzling look, to which he simply smiled and handed her the newspaper.

"For what it's worth," he added. "It's impressive it got a fourth of the cover really. You'd think the Shokugeki for a Seated Position would be all they'd talk about, but it seems one can never underestimate teenagers and their desires to know who is seeing who."

Erina just read, her eyes widening at each word.

"An exclusive from Polar Star Dormitories resident Soma Yukihira, last Autumn Election's Runner-Up and member of Team Erina of the Shokugeki for the Tenth Seat (more on that on page eight!), confirms that the first year chef, in his own words, "took home" resident Queen of Tootsuki and heiress to the Nakiri family Erina Nakiri, current Tenth Seat and leader of Team Erina. This comes as a surprise to no one given the interactions that many have stated have occurred between the two; rendering all their bickering and arguing as a means to hide their blossoming romance," she was tearing the newspaper in half as she read each word, her eyes as wide as can be. "Romance?! Why is this even news! Who…" she read a bit more. "Mitsuru Soutsuda. I want him expelled."

"Now dear, he's just doing his job," her grandfather tried to calm her down. It still relieved him that she was not yet in the "boyfriend" stage of her life. "We can call their headquarters, clubroom I imagine, and get the papers recalled and get them to write a retraction on the article. It's really not a big deal, but I just wanted to make sure."

"Sure?"

"Well… yes, sure."

"Of?"

"…Of things…"

"What sort of things?" she was giving him the look. He was weak against that look.

"Now dear," he tried to explain. "A grandpa does need to make sure he knows if his little princesses are, you know, experimenting. I mean, Alice usually gives me a heart attack with the way she acts around that Ryou Kurokiba fellow, but you, well, you…"

Her silence and stare said it all.

"…You, err, I'm an old fool and we should really eat," he weakly finished.

It was here Erina decided she had to set Soma Yukihira straight if this partnership was going to work.

-0-

Erina called forth their team meeting much earlier than Hisako expected her to. She had actually hoped Erina would have at least rested the first day before resuming work the following six days. Seems she underestimates her lady. It was two-thirty, a good time to get together, had the whole squad not been sleeping like logs until noon (Erina), past noon (Hisako), way past noon (Julio), or not at all (Soma). So a still somewhat sleepy Hisako made her way to the meeting spot inside the Academy, the building closest to the gym. One of the gyms, at least.

As she made her way there, noting how surprisingly hot it was in there, Hisako noticed a lot of people whispering. She had an idea about what, since she had also read the day's paper. She hoped Erina wasn't fuming about it, because their defeat plus the idea of her dating her worst enemy may be too much for her right now. And Hisako would rather not deal with that today.

Or ever.

At least, to her surprise, once she entered the area Erina had assigned as their meeting spot, Hisako was greeted by a fairly uplifted and happy Erina. "Morning Hisako, err, sort-of," Erina greeted, to which Hisako eagerly responded. A happy Erina made for a happy Hisako. "Sleep well?" Erina asked her, to which she nodded. "Come, sit. We've got some work to do."

"I'm sure you've heard the news, right?" Hisako asked as she took a seat next to Erina. It was surprisingly hot in here as well; wasn't it supposed to be winter soon? "I'm honestly surprised to find you so cheery."

"If you mean our defeat," Erina started, resting her head on her hand as she waited for the final two members. It is in their best intention not to keep her waiting. "I was informed this morning. Seems some jackass leaked everything online last night, so this was news before I even knew about it. As for the other news," her voice took a sharper tone, which made Hisako flinch. Why had she asked? "Grandfather took care of it. I just have to make sure Soma stays in line and soon people will move on and talk about more productive, _realistic _things."

"I was shocked," Hisako added honestly. "I knew it had to be fake when they said you rode with Soma to your house. You hate bikes."

"…Ah," Erina averted her eyes. She did not hate bikes, per say, she just didn't see the point when you could drive (if you needed to get somewhere) or ride a horse (for the thrill). There was just no point. "Yeah, totally false because you know I'd never…"

"…You totally did, didn't you?" Hisako had her eyes narrowed, but not because she was mad. No, her wide smile stated the opposite. Her teasing tone did not help matter at all, either.

"He offered to take me home," she tried to explain. "And you yourself told me I had been a little, sort of, maybe _mean _to him-"

"You humiliated him in front of the whole Academy."

"-moderately _mean _to him," Erina corrected, with Hisako still not sure that the adjective used fully covered it. "And he had done a good job, so I said yes. I had no idea he meant his bike."

"Then what did you think he meant?" Hisako asked, genuinely confused. Erina must have known Soma did not have a car, much less anyone to pick him up. And she had seen his bike before, or Hisako assumes she had. But Erina didn't really answer her, she just lowered her gaze and pretended to be reading something from the notes she had on the desk for the meeting. It was here Hisako's gears began to turn, and turn, and turn… until it made sense. "Seriously," her surprise was evident by her tone. "You wanted to walk with him?"

"Can we change the subject?" Erina spoke up, not daring to look Hisako in the eyes.

"What, no!" was the short answer Hisako gave. "Since when do you walk _anywhere_? You take the limousine in-between classes. Wait," she continued, until it hit her. "…So those rumors, are they-?"

"No! Of course not!" Erina interrupted her friend before she began to jump into conclusions. She had enough in her plate with her Shokugeki, she did not, would not be forced to deal with accusations of her possibly having any type of relationship with Soma Yukihira that did not involve their professions. Hisako looked unconvinced, but before she could voice it, the door opened up and the final two members entered, allowing Erina to give a sigh of relief.

Soma and Julio entered chatting normally, a rarity for them but as Erina had presumed, they seemed to have bonded somewhat during the last match. Habits of men, she supposed. Put them in a tight spot together, and nine times out of ten they'll have at least a begrudging respect for one another; if not outright friendship.

"Morning all," Soma spoke cheerfully, while Julio also greeted them, but not before reminding Soma that it was nearly three in the afternoon. Morning has long passed.

As the four took a seat and began conversing, about the match and what had gone wrong, Soma seemed "jumpier" for some reason; at least to Erina. She spoke, but she kept on observing him out of the corner of her eye. He was all smiles, which was normal for him, but he kept moving around; shifting in his seat. Did he need to use the restroom or something? She tried to ignore it, ignore him, but his constant movement soon got on her nerves.

"-so we really must stock enough so that every item could realistically be ordered by-Soma, would you stop!" she raised her voice, glaring in his direction. He stopped moving and grinned, like a little kid who was caught red-handed doing something naughty. She was beginning to regret having him in her team again.

"Sorry, I'm just excited is all," he explained. "When are you going to tell them, anyways?"

"…Tell them what?" she asked, confused. Both Hisako and Julio seemed confused as well.

"About last night, what we agreed on," he explained. Erina understood, Hisako smirked (because it sounded like something else), and Julio seemed more confused.

"He _means_," Erina placed a little extra stain into that word, mostly directed at her smirking secretary. "-that he is no longer our Head Busser. Soma Yukihira is hereby… p-promoted," God that was a hard phrase to say. "To Assistant Chef of Expo. Julio," she directed herself at her second aide. "You'll be credited as Assistant Chef of Pantry. That way I can cover my bases well. I'll take over the staff, while still being the head chef. Hisako, you're still the Kitchen Manager, so these two are under you."

"Oh, cool," Hisako spoke as she turned to Soma. "Congratulations, I told you that you were integral to this team!"

"Yes, very," Julio added. "This also means you'll get your very own chuck of paperwork after we close. I could not be happier."

"Yeah, thanks guys," the redhead said, blushing slightly and rubbing the back of his head with his hand, taken a bit aback. He had known about it, but it now felt official with Erina announcing it. And, hey, it was not her admitting his food was good, not yet anyways, but it was a start.

"Yes, we are all happy and all," Erina cut in, since they should save the praise until after they made sure that her ass would not be taken out of her seat. "So sign here, and let's get a move on with the topic."

"Sign?" Soma asked confused as Erina handed him a few papers and a pen, which as he read made him feel… happy? "Is this?"

"You are officially promoted," Erina explained, annoyed. They had other things they needed to discuss. "So sign so we can continue."

"Wait! I want to read this," Soma interrupted, his eyes already violating the first page. Before Erina could protest, he began to read aloud. "I, Erina Nakiri, that's you, hereby acknowledge the employee Soma Yukihira, that's me, as one that has demonstrated superior qualifications and expertise well suited for furthering the ideals and goals set up by Golden Locks Restaurant. It is because of your commitment to our customer care and services that I hereby promote you-"

"Soma, its three pages, please don't read it all."

"Let him have just this Erina," Hisako murmured.

"-to the position of Assistant Chef of Expo," Soma continued, having not heard either of the girls. He was too busy fighting back his tears for that. "This thing is beautiful. Can you believe it?"

"I know right," answered an equally flushed and teary Julio. Both boys, initially filled with hostility with one another, embraced and hugged as they both tried and failed to be men and not cry. Hisako was touched. Erina wanted to vomit.

"Would you two act your age!" she screamed, causing them both to reset their positions as they had been. "Just sign that before I change my mind."

"I'm going to frame it!" Soma declared.

"You can't, I need it in my documentation," Erina shut him down.

Soma just smiled and placed his signature on it, finishing the process. He reluctantly gave Erina the sheets, which she just stored in a folder and carried on the conversation. As she spoke, Soma just listened and nodded. He was, feeling weird. This had been what he wanted originally, to be a part of the team. To work with them, not below them. And here he was, sitting like equals. Julio had turned out to be a great guy, despite Soma's earlier perception of him. He had always fond Hisako likeable, twice as much now that he knew how to say her name right. Then came her…

Erina Nakiri.

Why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

Isshiki had been right. He could not sleep because of this girl. Because every time he had tried, his whole body wanted to keep moving, it wouldn't stop. This girl made him want to improve, to be better. He wanted those lips of hers, with that God's Tongue that everyone feared, to just mouth the words "I like it". And with his promotion, he felt that ever since he first got here at Tootsuki, he had actually done some progress. She was still his boss, for sure, but he was no longer just another employee. He was one of her Managers, the right-hand men and women who can be trusted to run the company even when the boss herself was not present.

And she trusted him to do so. She gave him that job. She. Erina Nakiri. Who he had no problem with calling his superior.

Because she could cook just like _her_…

His mother was the best chef he ever knew, best person he ever knew, and for him to be sitting down with the one person in the world he had ever felt could cook like his mother was… mesmerizing. He had no other way to explain it.

"Soma," her voice made him snap out of his trance. "Are you even listening?"

…And he had been staring, apparently.

"Erm, yeah," he voiced, trying to remember what she had been saying while he was daydreaming.

Erina just stared at him, thinking. About what, he couldn't tell. But her bright rose-colored eyes just seemed to focus on his, causing him to stiffen a bit. She was scarier quiet than screaming.

But to Erina, this seemed to confirm something, which made her physically tense up. Her body became a bit rigged, her posture straightening a bit beyond what should be comfortable. Before Soma could voice his concern over her apparent discomfort, Erina spoke. She spoke in the most matter-of-factly tone she could muster, despite her occasional stuttering and luminescent blush promptly featured on her face. "Listen Soma Y-Yukihira," she began. "I want to make it perfectly clear that our relationship is, and s-shall remain, one-hundred percent professional during and after the Shokugeki and all related activities… S-So stop spreading rumors about me, okay?"

"Rumors?" he was taken aback. "What rumors am I spreading?"

"…Just, rumors," she answered. She wondered if he really didn't know what she was talking about. Considering it was Soma, whatever he had said could have been easily been taken out of context by anyone who had heard him, the little snot-nosed reporter specially. It meant she should probably play it safe, and just let the whole thing blow over. Soma had not really caught on to what she had implied, unlike Hisako who was smirking at her. She was going to have a serious talk with her best friend after this meeting was over. "Moving on then," she continued. "If you really are paying attention, care to tell me what I had been talking about, Mr. Assistant Chef of Expo?"

"Something…" _'Shit…' _"…about the," he paused, trying his best to remember what she had said. Which would be easier had he actually had heard her. It was Hisako pointing her sketchpad at him with the words "New Main Dish Ideas" written on them that gave him a much needed hint. "…You know, the new main dishes we have to introduce during our second round, right?"

"…Indeed," Erina rested her back against the chair, her gaze shifting from him to his secretary, who was now writing in her sketchpad like if she had no part in that conversation. Sneaky. "So while we focus on that, we should also benefit from someone I plan to hire?"

"We're getting more people?" Soma asked, resting his crossed arms on the table. Could they do that?

"Use your brain for once," she scolded him. So much for the new Manager Soma, just a few minutes in and already the boss was reprimanding him. "What I "hired", or plan to hire at least, is a Food Consultant for us; since I feel that we need to step up our game. Because truth be told, I don't want to just beat Akira, I want to crush him so that he gets at most just ten percent of the votes."

"That's cool," Soma responded, Erina simply glared. Why was he so cheery? She wanted to reprimand him again, but then she saw the focus he displayed on his eyes. He had not been referring to the Food Consultant as "cool", but rather to how she herself had referred to the way she wanted to defeat Akira. If that's what he meant, she'd let it slide.

"But Erina," Hisako interjected, causing the blonde to turn to her secretary. "Can we afford it? I know the budget's imaginary, but it is based on real numbers."

"It is, and we can, sort of."

"Sort of?" Julio asked, utterly confused.

"I mean, we can't afford a full-time consultant, or even a part-time one at that," Erina clarified, since she had done the math before she called the meeting. Twice in fact. "We can, however, afford a one-time class. I'm thinking of investing our funds in more high quality cooking equipment; Chinese exclusives like the highest quality woks, chahns, hoaks, and such. And I need all of you to be as proficient with them as you are with skillets and spatulas."

Erina's three managers nodded, knowing full well that they did require more training if they wanted to beat Akira without fail during the next round. It would be foolish not to prepare as if they were going to war; because they kind of were.

"And have you hired this person Milady?" Julio asked, pretty sure that Erina had all her bases already covered.

"Yes, I did," she answered. "Not officially at least, but I did call her before our meeting began. I presume you're all aware of our fellow first year student Miyoko Hojou? Someone who is so well versed in the art of Chinese cuisine should be an adequate tutor for you three."

"Oh, yeah, I remember her," Soma mentioned, since he did recall her _talking _to Megumi once, he thinks… "So you can hire her to give us tips on Chinese cuisine?"

"Yes," Erina made it sound way too optimistic, which meant… "For exactly fifteen minutes, so you better write it all down."

"What?" Soma was surprised.

"Fifteen?" Julio was shocked.

"We're that broke, huh?" Hisako noted,

"…It'll be enough," Erina assured, blushing a bit. Her calculations were spot on, which meant she knew they didn't have enough to get by as it was. A two hour class would have been a godsend, but she couldn't afford it. Their first round Shokugeki probably netted Akira a huge payday which increased his funds exponentially, while truth be told Erina actually lost money on that match instead of making. "If I'm being honest, my food was too expensive in creation that for it to make me a profit I would have to have sold over twice what we did yesterday, which puts me at a very bad spot. If this were day-to-day sales, I'd be screwed. However," she needed to boost morale. "I'm editing, well, everything so I'm certain we can make it work this way. We just have to take a very short class…"

"Akira's probably bathing in imaginary dough," Hisako muttered, annoyed that not just Akira was looking like a better business entrepreneur than Erina, but Alice, Megumi and Ryou of all people were looking like better staff.

"His style was a lot _simpler _in preparation I heard," Julio mentioned, since it was what everybody was talking about. That, and well, that other thing. "The taste was reportedly still of the highest quality."

"It's to be expected," Erina crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she spoke, regretting underestimating everything like she had done. "He planned for this to the utmost detail."

"Wait, so we can make it work then," Soma chimed in.

"Hm?" Erina turned to the redhead.

"I'll get you more money," he smiled as he stood up from his seat. "I've got an idea."

"Soma," she was confused. "You can't use real money here."

"I know," he assured her. "I've got just the thing, just wait here."

And with that said he bolted out of the room, leaving the three others just as dumbfounded as they could be, wondering just what idea had gotten into his head all the sudden. Julio didn't know him enough to be sure of what he could be thinking, but he figured it would be something weird at best. Hisako half wondered if he even knew how this worked, since you can't just create more imaginary money physically. Erina just stared, then it hit her. He wouldn't.

"He totally would…" she murmured to herself.

-0-

Akira Hayama was used to working like a dog if it meant he could accomplish his goals. Life on the streets would make you strong, independent and focused on nothing but survival. And his days with Jun, while having made his life easier and even happier, had not taken that edge away from him. He wouldn't let it be taken away. So the previous night's champ got up around eleven in the morning, much later than his usual self would permit, but even he required sleep sometimes. And after taking it easy for a bit, he decided it was best to just get out and hit the gym for a bit. Which turned out to be a bad idea.

Firstly, he had the rotten luck to choose the only gymnasium in all of Tootsuki that had the central air-conditioning system shutdown for the moment, causing the whole place to be far hotter than anyone in their right mind would have liked. He figure out as much when he saw two repairman working on it near the courts.

Secondly, the place was packed. He had intended to just exercise a bit and shake of all the stress from the day before, an action which for him would be much easier if he were alone and in peace, but it seemed everyone had decided to stop by there. He even saw Alice and Ryou outside when he was coming in. Alice! He had sworn she'd be sleeping till tomorrow.

Lastly, he now had Soma Yukihira right in front of him, grinning. This couldn't be good.

"Afternoon Akira," he greeted, to which Akira greeted back. He was surprised by the good mood Soma was sporting, evidently a major change from his last defeat during the Autumn Elections. "Do you have some time to spare?"

"…I do," he admitted, more curious than anything about the boy's intentions. They weren't exactly friends, were they?

"Good, so can I challenge you?" he asked him so nonchalantly that Akira felt it had been a joke.

"Pardon?"

"Can I challenge you?"

So he had heard him right.

"Soma, I'm afraid you and I both are currently involved in a Shokugeki, which would make us both unavailable to partake in another," Akira explained something Soma should know. "And that goes even amongst ourselves. Trust me, I have no reason to deny you a challenge, so rest assured that our rematch will come, but it's going to have to wait until I am the Tenth Seat…"

"Um, yeah, I know," Soma acknowledged. If he had disliked Akira hinting at his inevitable victory, Soma didn't really show it. The smile was still all over the redhead's face.

"…Then…?" Akira asked, imagining that Soma had other intentions then.

"Oh, I'm not challenging you to a Shokugeki Akira," Soma expressed with a grin. "I'm challenging you to a business competition, of sorts. As _part _of the Shokugeki we're already involved in."

"Business competition?" for once, Akira was at a loss.

"Yeah, my old man did it all the time with his buddies from nearby businesses or shop owners or such," Soma spoke while counting with his fingers the number of "friends" his father competed with. He stopped counting when he ran out of fingers. "Just a friendly business wager."

"Wager?" and now Akira realized his intentions. He had figured Erina was going to be low on funds given her performance during the first round, but he was unsure by how much. But with this, he figured she was way below the expected level. Which was a good thing for him. But now Soma wanted to challenge him, which meant Soma wanted to wager some of Erina's imaginary funds for some of his (Akira's) equally imaginary funds. A friendly wager between rival companies, something not unheard of in the business world. From entrepreneurs, politicians, lawyers and other professionals, many would make wagers on sports teams, sales, predictions, anything really in the spirit of healthy competition. As long as it is fair and equally agreed upon by both parties it was perfectly legal. Which meant many companies held these events for charity and promotional reasons which benefit both companies regardless of the winner of the wager. A win-win scenario; the ideal to strive for in the business world.

"Interested?" Soma's cheeky grin said it all.

-0-

When her phone began to ring again for the fourth time in a period she presumed was less than three full minutes, Megumi decided it would be a good time to get up. She felt like a train wreck. Her body argued against any and all movement she made, and just the mere act of sitting up from her sleeping position on that wonderful bed of hers and motioning her hand towards her phone proved to be much harder than she would have liked. She looked at her phone's screen, vision still blurry thanks to her sleepy eyes, and saw her four missed calls.

Alice…?

Since when did Alice Nakiri call her? Was it about the yesterday's match? Wait, did they have something planned today that she totally forgot about and overslept?

So she pondered that for a bit, while she wiped her face with a handkerchief. Embarrassingly, she had been drooling in her sleep. No wonder her right cheek felt sticky. _'…Great.'_

So she went to the bathroom. After checking to see if anyone was using it by checking the chart, she went inside since it was free. She was actually quite thankful for that chart Fumio made, especially since it was created thanks to that incident between her and Soma during his first night at Polar Star Dorm. And the flood of memories of that incident came back and she was blushing furiously.

'_Get that out of your head Megumi!' _she screamed to herself inside her own head. An unmarried lady should not be thinking about such things, not especially about a boy that (when it happened) she had just barely met. And to be seeing all of him was not the way to get to know what could be arguably be called her best friend. It wasn't fair for him either, she supposed, but then again he never did seem too bothered by it. _'…Did he even care?' _she half-wondered. _'I was naked too…'_

She shook her head. Then after disrobing herself from her nightclothes, she jumped inside the tub. The water was lukewarm, how she always bathed, since it helped her relax. She left her cellphone nearby, careful not to get it wet, but she needed to call Alice after she gave herself this short bath. She was certain, now that she was fully awake, that they did not make any plans to meet up today. It was their day off. But, if Alice needed anything, Megumi would be happy to help. Once she was properly prepared, of course.

"It's already three-thirty," she mused, softly, to herself. As she sunk her body further inside the bathwater, leaving her lips sunk into the water while allowing her nose access to air, she gave a soft blow. It made bubbles in the water. She liked doing that. Ever since she was a kid. Made her feel relaxed. Comforting, in a way.

"…_And I have not found a better chef for cooking comfort foods than the one I'm talking to right now."_

His words echoed inside her head as if he were speaking to her in person, and her face flushed immediately. It was so surreal for her skills as a chef to be praised to such an extent, in such an honest way. Especially by someone of such a high caliber. It made her feel weird, but at the same time it gave her more motivation to further improve. And she knew, in the bottom of her heart, that she had already decided.

"…I'm going to help him win," she spoke, between bubbles in the bath. She had nothing against Erina Nakiri, not personally at least. Her treatment of Soma aside, Erina was talented and professional. And Megumi could not imagine having such immense responsibilities as Erina did; she's freak. So no, Megumi thought very highly of Erina, she thought she was smart, talented and a pillar for Tootsuki's future. Oh, and she was beautiful. Like a princess. But, given all that, Akira was more. Megumi had seen the effort he had put into this match, into his restaurant, into his future. And he trusted her. Trusted her to help him carve out his career in the food industry. So she would.

So she smiled.

"Sorry Soma," she got up from the bath, letting the water slide across her body as she pulled her hairnet back to allow her hair some breathing room. She should wash it tomorrow, lest it starts tangling up like it always does. She hated her hair, really.

Her phone rang again. Alice Nakiri.

"Hello," she answered, trying to wrap her towel across her frame onehanded. Maybe she should have answered after she had done that?

"Finally, Megumi, dear, get your butt to the courts in the gym of Building 4C, ASAP!" Alice sounded giddy as she spoke, which only served to confuse the struggling to look decent Megumi. "You're going to be missing out!"

"On?" she spoke as she finally managed to tie the knot. "I'm just getting out of the bath, are we meeting up or something?"

"What? No!" she clarified. "It's just that Akira and Soma got involved in something again, so it seems like they're going to have a challenge here at four. Grandfather was contacted and he approved, so you can just imagine how pack this place got… Oh, and don't come to dressed, it's hot as hell in here."

"…Just what did Soma do now?" was more a question to herself than to her teammate.

-0-

Senzaemon had pondered this carefully when Soma called the office to request it. It was unorthodox to say the least, but as he had told Soma, this wasn't a normal Shokugeki. And the way Soma explained it, it made some sense. So he allowed it, because there was no rule against it. Also, he was bored and it sounded fun.

So now there was the Director of all Tootsuki, sitting on the bleachers of the gym alongside a full house of students from different years, many having to resort to standing because there were no more seats available.

At the main doors of the gym, stood a hastily drawn sign which read "TEAM ERINA V. TEAM AKIRA; COME AND WATCH THE MATCH UP; $1 ENTRY; HALF OF THE PROFITS WILL GO TO CHARITY!" in big, bold, bright letters. Of course, what Senzaemon agreed to was that each student would pay one dollar to watch the match. After everything was counted, each student would be given his or her dollar back, since the imaginary budget that Erina and Akira counted with should remain imaginary. Then, the amount the gained would be cut in half, because half would be going to "charity", with the remaining half being divided between Akira and Erina, with the winner and loser of the match being given a 75% and a 25% of the funds respectively.

In layman's terms the winner would get 37.5 cents for each "ticket sold".

The loser would get 12.5 cents.

And as the students cheered and made imaginary bets on who'd win, Soma and Akira faced each other down on the court, dressed in loose shirts and short pants, with their sneakers on and a basketball on Soma's hand.

"Basketball?" Akira asked him again, smiling at the redhead.

"Everyone knows how to play it, right?" Soma confessed, dribbling the ball a bit. "So what's this called? A Basketgeki?"

"I'd rather not."

"Hey!" came a shout from the crowd, and as both would-be players turned the saw an angry Ryou Kurokiba walking towards them, also in sports gear. "You're not playing him Akira."

"Pardon? Says who?" Akira just stared at Ryou, who glared back.

"Says Alice," the beast boy answered. "She did the math, with the funds we have and the profits we'd gain if we win this, we could actually double stock everything we need. We'd easily win the second round and there would be no need for the third."

"I'm fully aware of that Kurokiba," Akira admitted. "But you mustn't concern yourself here, it's your day off, I'll take care of this."

"Right, my scores in P.E. are much higher than yours."

"Much is an exaggeration," Akira noted. "It's just a slim margin."

"Still higher," Ryou countered, as Akira just stared. Must he deal with both Soma and Ryou today?

"Why don't you both play against me? If I win, I get all the profit," Soma suggested, only to be immediately shut down by his two classmates, since as they put it, "it would be an unfair match-up" (Akira) or "I alone can own you" (Ryou). Soma just pouted.

"-I don't need to pay nothing, so let me in!" was heard from the entrance, which caused the three young men to turn as they saw Soma's teammates coming in. Erina's pace was hurried, as she reached where Soma was and before he could speak, she did. "You leave the meeting, and in less than an hour you have this set up! What are you thinking? You don't have my permission for this?"

"He doesn't?" Akira raised his brow, looking at Soma. Soma giggled a bit nervously.

"No, he doesn't," Erina answered. "Truth be told, I don't even know what this is sup-Hey!" she shouted as Soma grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away from Akira and Ryou, as the both just stared. Soma pulled her to the side, as Erina glared with a blush on her face evident as could be. "What are you-?"

"Just relax, okay, I've got this," he assured her. "It was an executive decision on my part, it's the best way to earn the money we need. You saw the sign, right? If I win this we'll have enough to hire Miyoko for an extended period of time. Heck, even if I lose, we'd still probably get an hour of her at least. So… trust me?"

She wanted to smack him. "Executive Decision" her ass, he was an assistant for just under an hour and he was already causing a stir. So she wanted to just deny everything and go back to the meeting, but his reasoning was solid. She hated to admit it, but she had not considered earning more money using a method outside the food sales of the restaurant sales during the three matchups. And she did the quick math, if he won, they could probably hire Miyoko as a part-timer.

But then the whispers began to get louder.

And Erina shifted her gaze from Soma to their surroundings. Everyone was staring. It was here that the newspaper article came back to her mind; and she understood just how everything had looked, what with her getting grabbed by the waist by Soma and pulled away as the two talked softly to one another. Her blush was intensifying by the second.

"Are you okay Erina?" he asked, she scoffed.

"Fine," she just said, her gaze downwards, trying to hide her embarrassment. The least of a scene she could make, the better. When he didn't seem to understand if she had meant she was "fine" or if the match could go on, she clarified. "Go, play."

His smile was something else.

"Really? Thanks!" he exclaimed, turning back towards Akira and Ryou. "You won't regret this, I'll make you proud boss!"

"…Soma?"

"Yeah?"

"…Make him sorry for having the nerve to challenge me."

It was the tone of her voice and the smile that accompanied it that made _him_ blush, as he quickly shifted his whole body back towards the court, as to avoid her gaze. He just gave her a thumbs up, and ran towards Akira and Ryou.

Erina walked towards the bleachers, where Hisako and Julio stood, given that there were no more seats available. Hisako was surprised about all of this, but she figured she should be used to it. "This'll be something…"

"Yeah," Erina mentioned to her friend, while standing in front of one of the students seating at the edge of the bleacher they were at. "You. Move."

"Wait, what?" he said, stunned. "This is my seat!"

"No, it's mine," her voice was poison. "Move. I will not repeat myself."

"…Fine ma'am," he was not happy, but he moved. And Erina just took a seat after wiping the seat with a handkerchief. She then turned and asked an honest sounding "What?" to Hisako and Julio, who were staring at her with surprised looks on their face.

"…N-Nothing," they both said in unison.

"Hey guys, one thing," Soma's voice caused the three to look at him, as he jogged towards them. "Hey, so yeah, Akira and Ryou are both arguing about them both participating. So I suggested a two-on-two match, winner take all. I think I can get them to agree, so, Julio," he turned to his teammate. "You game?"

Julio just stared at the court.

Akira and Ryou were glaring at him.

"Soma, I totally would if it wasn't for this horrible, horrible stomachache I have," he mentioned as he held the pit of his stomach in "agony". "Believe me, we'd wreck them if I wasn't feeling this way."

"Oh," Soma just stared. "I didn't know. Do you need to go to the nurse's office?"

"…Oh no, I can manage if I just, erm, rest here, yes, rest is what I need!"

"Oh, okay," Soma nodded, with Erina and Hisako surprised that he had actually believed that. "So… Hisako," he turned to the redhead. "How 'bout it?"

"What? Me?" she exclaimed, in shock. "I've never played basketball in my life. I couldn't."

"Huh…" Soma sounded more disappointed by the moment. He half-heartedly turned to Erina, since he was certain she was not of the sports-variety.

"If you had challenged them to volleyball, I'd own him," she said, without bothering to look at Soma. Her eyes were fixated upon Akira. Soma was surprised at her response, and her seriousness made it evident she wasn't joking. Then again, he'd never seen her play anything, but that didn't mean she couldn't. "Basketball's not my forte, so you tell him he agreed to a one-on-one and I expect him to uphold that offer. He can send himself, Ryou or even Alice, I wouldn't care, but just tell him to make up his mind and to stop wasting my time. If he can't handle his employees, then he should just give me the money and be done with it."

"Cold as usual, I guess," Soma spoke as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I guess you're right, I mean an all-or-nothing payout would be grand, we'd get like fifty cents for every person here, so-Wait, I got it," he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "We can afford someone for fifteen minutes, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Perfect, we'll get all of it!" said Soma as he began to run towards another bleacher. The remaining three just stared, dumbfounded.

"Is he going to spend our little funds?" Hisako asked.

"Yes, he is," Erina answered, but deciding not to stop him. If he lost, they'd be screwed, but just this once, she'll put her trust in him.

So Soma stood in front of the furthest bleacher from the entrance, and shouted from the top of his lungs. "Takumi! You're here-by hired by Golden Locks! Wanna play?"

The whole crowd shifted their heads to face the blonde who was sitting next to his brother at the top of the bleacher, eyes wide open as all the attention shifted to him. "What?" Takumi just asked, wondering what Soma even meant. "Since when am I involved in this?"

"Since now," Soma answered. "If you say yes, that is."

"Go for it," Isami encouraged him, knowing full well his brother was anxious to be back in the spotlight. "It'll do you good."

"…But it's partnering up _with_ Soma," Aldini muttered, which was hard since the whole gym had gone silent to hear him. "I want to beat him up, not this."

"Consider it like when rivals are forced to team up to defeat a greater threat, like that anime… like most animes really," Isami mentioned, to which his twin nodded in response. Then smiled.

"You've got it Soma!" Takumi shouted while standing up in the bleachers. "Let's do this! First I'll help you, then we'll settle it between ourselves. Right?"

"…Sure," Soma just smiled.

"Let's do this!"

"Um, brother, you should get changed first."

"…Right," Takumi blushed and quietly walked out of the gym to change, while everyone just went back to chatting.

Soma just turned to Akira and Ryou, smiling. "You guys okay with this?"

They both nodded. All-for-nothing it was.

-0-

When Megumi reached the gym, after she was surprisingly charged a dollar for entering, she met up with Alice who had saved her a seat. So she sat, in the overly crowded gym, and Alice gave her a warm smile. "Megumi, sleepyhead, you good?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm up," she assured. "What's all this."

"Ryou and Akira are taking on Soma and Takumi for extra funds for our Shokugeki, or something like that, I really don't care. Most people here don't care," she admitted, which caused Megumi to look at her strangely. "Oh, it's true, guys are here because it's a basketball game, and men and sports are like a pairing made in heaven."

"Oh."

"And the girls, like you and me," she continued, licking her lips. "Are here to see four of the hottest freshmen's sweat like it's no one's business."

Megumi couldn't stop blushing. She tried to ignore that, but once she looked to the court, where she saw the four ready to start, part of her couldn't help but agree.

The four of them could really wear those shorts well.

"Alright, you guys ready?" the chosen referee of the matchup, Tetsuji Kabutoyama, asked the boys. The eleventh-grader had been happy to help, since he was interested in someday challenging all of them to a Shokugeki; so it helped if they knew of him so they'd easily accept. They were just happy because he was tall. So once they all nodded in confirmation, he concluded. "Let's play ball!"

Once the whistle had been blown and the ball was tossed into the air, the whole crowd's focus was set onto the four players. The gym was full, even more-so now after word had gotten out that Takumi would also partake in the game and his entire fan-club got in. And they all watched, as the legendary rookies began to play.

Ryou was the first one to catch the ball in the air, since between him and Soma, he had the longest reach. While Takumi guarded against Akira, Ryou quickly made his way towards his basket, and despite Soma's attempts at stopping him, Ryou managed an effortless slam-dunk, giving his team the first two points of the match. The crowd cheered, with the loudest yell coming from Alice.

Next Soma made a pass to Takumi, who made his way towards the basket. Akira guarded against him, so much so that he knew that trying to score a point would be hard, so he passed the ball to Soma, only to be intercepted by Ryou, who ran like a madman to the basket and scored another basket.

"This guy's an animal," Takumi told Soma as they once again were handed the ball. Soma just stared at Ryou, who had his eyes fixated on the ball. This was going to be a bit tougher than he thought.

Once Takumi passed the ball to Soma, the latter ran towards the basket, but zigzagged his way there to avoid being cornered by Ryou. Akira kept Takumi at bay, so it was harder to make a pass, but Ryou was relentless, so he tried to make the pass anyways. Takumi managed to receive it, and scored a three-pointer despite Akira's rather impressive response time an attempt at a block.

The score was three-to-four, with Akira and Ryou in the lead.

The fifteen minute timer had already decreased to around thirteen minutes.

The crowd was cheering; the girls squealing and the guys screaming.

Akira made a pass to Ryou, who went headfirst towards the basket, and neither Soma nor Takumi could do a thing to stop him.

3:6

Soma made a pass to Takumi, only to be intercepted by Akira, who stepped out of range and took a shot. Three pointer.

3:9

Takumi passed to Soma, who dribbled his way to the basket, avoiding Ryou like if his life depended on it and shot from under the basket. Score.

5:9

Ryou passed the basketball to Akira, who proceeded to take his time to dodge a defending Takumi and reach in for a simple toss. Another point.

5:11

"This was a bad idea," Erina muttered, looking at the remaining time. The score card showed that they had roughly ten minutes of play left, and Soma and Takumi were down by more than half. It seemed like she wasn't hiring anyone then. "Why did I let him talk me into this?"

"This is still weird," Hisako noted at how into the game the students were. "Tootsuki is a cooking academy."

"True," Erina said, looking at Soma as he seemed to be pondering his predicament as well.

And he was. The redhead, with ball in hand, addressed his teammate for a moment. "We're going to lose this like this, so let's spice this up. This is the same thing as if we were cooking."

Takumi nodded. He knew what Soma meant, they were playing way too offensively, if that could make sense. They had to be smarter. So when Soma passed the ball to him, which signaled Ryou's upcoming charge against him, Takumi quickly passed the ball back. Actually, that's untrue. The ball hardly reached Takumi. He smacked it back at Soma as soon as it was in reach. When Ryou reached an empty handed Takumi he was too surprised by the movement that he didn't notice a running Soma until it was too late. And given that Akira was the one who usually guarded Takumi, he also didn't notice Soma until the latter was running. And by the time the two reacted, the redhead had scored a point.

7:11

"Stay with Soma!" Akira shouted at Ryou, who merely growled in response.

Akira made the pass to Ryou, who was surprised to see both Soma and Takumi on him, each guarding a side. As Akira tried to get close, Ryou motioned to pass by them by shaking furiously, and pass he did, without the ball. Three seconds later and Takumi had scored another point.

9:11

"They're using much better teamwork than us," Akira noted.

"Then play better!" was Ryou's response.

And they kept at it, with both teams scoring, stealing and repeating the process, for the remaining minutes. The crowd cheered and gasped at every moment, and it was evident that the four, despite their rivalry, were having fun. They were smiling, shouting, shoving each other but still smiling afterwards. With two minutes left in the counter, Ryou brushed away the sweat on his forehead thanks to the heat of this air-conditioning-less gym. Why did they pick this place? "To hell with it," he exclaimed, before he removed his shirt. "I'll suffocate if this keeps up."

The whistling from the girls, from _mostly _the girls, was evident. While Alice's eyes were wide as plates at the sight of her now shirtless, drenched in sweat aide. "What is he doing?" a blushing Megumi asked, to which an irritated Alice answered: "Sleeping outside, is what…"

"Ryou…?" Akira asked him, while Ryou just looked at him.

"What?" he asked his "boss". "It's hot, and school events show more skin during swimming events, so…"

"He's right," Soma declared, and before Akira could answer the redhead proceeded to take his own shirt off. The audience gasped even more. Not to be outdone, Takumi followed suit, to the ever-loving cheers of his fan-club. Akira, not to be the odd-one-out, also stripped; leaving the four boys shirtless and ready to finish the match.

"…I was not ready for today," Hisako admitted, wondering if she should avert her eyes. Teens her age, despite trying to seem otherwise, were a hormonal bunch. And she knew what she liked. So she wondered if she should try to avert Erina's eyes then, as he lady should not be insulted by such trivial things. But by the look Erina was giving, she assumed Erina had no intention of looking away.

"T-This is so shameless," Erina muttered to Hisako, while struggling to know where to look. "Why are they stripping?"

"It's hot," Hisako answered. When Erina gave her the most shocked look she could, Hisako clarified. "Heat, Erina, heat. The temperature is high, so…"

Erina just turned her attention back to them. Back to him. Since when was he built? He wasn't overly muscular like Ryou, but he still possessed enough well-toned muscles that he could look well without the shirt. He looked _damn _well without the shirt, but she wasn't going to admit that. He wasn't like the protagonists of the stories she read, who were prettier than the girls. Takumi and even Akira could fall into the category, despite being well-toned themselves. Soma, was, well, normal. He was fit, but not overly so. _'His shoulders are far broader than I had anticipated…'_

She heard her own thoughts and blushed slightly, since she couldn't really deny it. He looked fine. And no one could blame her for it, every girl here had to agree. And several of the guys.

"Okay! Let's finish this," Soma announced, and as the crowd cheered everyone got back into place. Erina had to admit, he had a way to carry himself that just moved people. His personality was magnetic, and it couldn't be clearer. As they got back into the game, the crowd began to applaud in a steady rhythm. Beat for beat. As the players ran across the court. It was toxic, yet addicting. The cheer fun everyone was having because of something so improvised as this was. The girls screamed, the guys shouted, everyone clapped.

Even Erina.

She joined in the clapping, and the head bopping, and the cheering. It was like an acapella orchestra, with claps and foot stomps as the music for the game. She joined in the laughing, in the screaming, in the moment. So when the moment came, alongside everyone else, she was on her feet in anticipation.

23 seconds on the clock.

Score was 20:22 was the score, Akira still winning.

Soma had the ball, and was rushing to the basket. Ryou was on him, relentlessly. Soma kept going, he penetrated the defense as best he could, but the moment he managed to get pas Ryou, Akira was waiting. This shot could tie the game; Akira was no fool. But Soma tried the shot anyway.

Akira and Ryou jumped for a double block.

The crowd screamed.

The ball never came.

It took Akira a second to realize that Soma's hands were empty, and as he turned, he saw his mistake. Takumi had been left wide open. Instead of shooting towards the basket, Soma had "shot" towards Takumi.

Sprint.

The cheers got louder…

Jump.

Even louder…

Three pointer.

As loud as loud can!

23:22

Time's out!

"Great shot Takumi!" Soma shouted as he hugged Takumi, as the blonde couldn't stop laughing. "We did it, we did it!"

"Yeah, we did," Takumi spoke between breathes. That last stretch took more out of him that he had thought. "You're awfully sweaty, so stop hugging me."

"Oh, my bad," Soma spoke as he let go of Takumi, to the sadness of his fan-club. As Akira and Ryou approached them, Soma gave the two a thumbs-up. "Great game, fellows."

"Sure was," Akira responded with a smile, while Ryou just nodded. "Money's all yours."

Soma grinned as he turned to look at Erina, who was looking flushed and agitated. She shifted her gaze at him, without moving or changing her expression. He walked towards her, and her eyes struggled to shift back towards his eyes as his glittering-due-to-the-sweat chest blocked her vision. He would not be allowed to undress in public again… although she was wondering with what authority could she realistically demand that. But there he was, smiling at her, standing tall and proud with that dorky look; happy to have earned Team Erina enough to hire their Food Consultant. And she was so exhausted from just screaming and cheering, like everyone else had, and she was sure he had heard her. His eyes demonstrated so. So she smiled, which then became a soft laugh.

"Thank you Soma," her lips were allowed to say. "That was a good showing."

"Inadequate service."

"Yea-what?" she cocked her head at that response, before realizing it had been one of the repairmen who had spoken to the other about what the air-conditioning system had been displaying. His voice just had sounded a bit similar to Soma's own. When she shifted her attention back to the redheaded boy, he gave her a soft smile.

"It wasn't much."

And the both stayed that way, looking at each other and impressed with what had just transpired. And as the crowd talked, began to move and argue about who really deserved to win; whether or not any of them had underestimated their competition, or whatever. Soma and Erina never heard any of it. They just smiled, since neither could find the right words to say to one another after that.

…And they dared not ruin it.

-0-

By the time Soma made it back to Polar Star Dormitories, he was beyond beat. While his hours of sleep were an average of six or so, he still needed sleep. So after skipping a night of sleep, plus a big game of basketball, he was ready to faint until tomorrow. He considered skipping the bath altogether, but the sweat convinced him otherwise, so he checked the graph and took a bath. The day had been exhausting enough as it was, so Erina had told them to take it easy and she would contact them tomorrow on their new course of action. So sleep he would, he felt accomplished enough to be able to relax now.

And hopefully he was too exhausted to think about _her _again.

So he put on his nightclothes and dropped face first onto his bed, drifting to sleep in mere moments.

He never noticed that Subaru Mimasaka had been in his room for the past half hour.

* * *

%


	10. Her Dream

**Rating:** T+

**Pairing:** Soma/Erina

**Genre:** _Slow_ Romance (But Getting _FASTER _(Isn't It?))

**Notes:**

I don't have much to share with you all this time, aside from obviously thanking each and every one of you for taking the time to read, favorite, review or PM me about _Nouvelle_, or giving me any other feedback whatsoever. It's what's been motivating me to carry on writing, since it's a major stress-reliever against, you know, work. So thank you all; and I hope you continue to enjoy yourselves while reading this story!

Also, SPOILERS START for the manga, but Akira Hayama is now a Seated Member. Does that make this whole thing a bit less serious? SPOILERS END

Once again, remember to check my Polls on my Profile Page! I change them every other update!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

* * *

Subaru Mimasaka lived by a motto.

Jack of all trades…

He never had a specific specialty in his cooking, a forte if you will, because he had never needed one. Why focus your efforts on perfecting a field when others could do it for you? Versatility was a cook's greatest weapon. So for him it became a game. He would study each and every one of his opponents, down to the last possible detail, so that he could be just like them. He'd copy their mannerisms, their lifestyles, their recipes, their everything. So that he could, for the briefest of moments, steal their talents and use them against them.

Master of none…

He was never a master of the arts, not a true one at that, but he could fake it. He could fake it so well that people could never tell the difference; because there wasn't one. If imitation was flattery, then Subaru Mimasaka was the most flattering person alive. But he knew that wasn't true. His game proved to be flawed in one great area.

But better than a master of one…

He had lived by the wrong motto, he presumed. Or rather, he had not understood it full meaning. He had thought himself versatile, but the truth was the complete opposite. What he truly was, upon much self-reflection, was just a master of imitation. Still but a master of one instead of a jack of all stats. The true "Jack of all trades" was really him.

Soma Yukihira.

The redheaded chef-in-training who was sound asleep just mere feet from Subaru. Soma had taken Tootsuki by storm; starting out as a nobody who came out of nowhere to becoming a force to be reckoned with that had most people convinced _he_ was the one that would have walked away with the crown from the Autumn Elections. He almost did. But, Subaru imagined, Akira was another monster entirely.

But Soma was still impressive. He gave Akira quite a fight. He demonstrated his skill…

'…_He beat me.'_

Subaru shook his head, no use in thinking back about past failures. He had underestimated Soma, and paid for it. He should be furious, insulted. All of his trophies, taken and returned. Except for the mezzaluna, who Subaru could spot tucked away in a case under Soma's bed. Takumi was being stubborn again, he presumed.

Subaru should want nothing more than revenge, to get his due vengeance, because Soma was the cause of that massive defeat he suffered at his hands, and the massive slap in the face that was the reality of his "talents" being nothing more than a front. He should hate Soma Yukihira…

…So why this guilt?

Subaru Mimasaka had long accomplished the goal he had been sent to do, long before Soma had even arrived. Still, there he was, hiding from Soma in a very convenient and removable ceiling tile which connected itself to the air duct; which surprisingly was a fit for his rather large and bulky frame. Soma should really get that fixed, lest a stranger could enter his room easily. But Subaru digressed, it made his job far easier.

Still, why was he still here?

Why did he wait until Soma arrived? Did he really need to see him again? To see his face, that smug grin, just to try and justify his actions because Soma deserved it? Or to try and fool himself into thinking what he was doing was anything but deplorable?

"I'm really sorry Yukihira," Subaru spoke in the softest of tones, so as to not wake him. But considering how asleep Soma was, Subaru was certain he could break out in song and dance and Soma would be none the wiser. "But when you've gotten this far with the help I've had, it becomes less about doing what's right, but more about doing what's right for your own wellbeing. You do not cross the people I have become bedfellows with," he spoke, his eyes downcast, yet still addressing the sleeping Soma.

Soma just gave a soft snore as a response.

"Eizan sends his greetings," Subaru stated, a little louder this time. "Although I'm sure you'll never know. But he is someone I do not want to get on the bad side of. Not him, not his crazy sister, much less their old man."

As Subaru spoke he made sure there were no signs of his entrance. His gloves may hide his fingerprints, but one could never be too careful. Once he felt secured about his "handiwork", he proceeded to leave, leaving the scene just as it had been before he had arrived, with just that _one_ minordifference.

"For what's it's worth," Subaru stated, moments before his departure. "Your talent really was out of my reach."

Then he was gone.

-0-

Soma Yukihira woke up like he always did. Hungry.

He sat up, stretched until he felt satisfied, kicked off the covers and got up. It was still pretty early in the morning, not too early for Isshiki not to be up and about already, but early enough for Soma to be the second person moving about. It did help that he went to bed so early last night, but given how exhausted he was, it wasn't surprising. There were good news thou. Given how tired he was he didn't think about nothing much so his sleep was not interrupted by thoughts of a certain blonde C.E.O. of a Chinese-American restaurant he worked at. So, with a good night's sleep, he could have an early morning breakfast. And with every one still asleep, it meant he had the kitchen all to himself.

A quick trip to the bathroom later, Soma made his way to the kitchen, to the surprising sight of a dancing Megumi.

It was too surreal for him that he just rested himself against the frame of the door, hands in his pockets, and a bemused look in his face. She was there, beating him to the kitchen to cook up a well-balanced breakfast, with her headphones on playing some song Soma couldn't really decipher from the distance but one that made her dance around. She looked happy.

He was wondering how long it would take her to notice him.

There she was, heating up the stove and taking out the prep, all while mouthing the song to herself and moving about as if she were doing a soft ballet. He was certain that she was not being pure to the song's intended dance, but she looked adorable and that's what mattered. And she was so preoccupied she wasn't going to notice him, so he resorted to plan B.

Megumi liked to dance. Ever since she was a little girl.

It was something her mother was great at, and she had shown her since a young age, so it was something that she always did when she was stressed. Hearing music and dancing the fears away. Or when she was happy, like she felt now. Or was it when she was proud? She also liked to listen to music when it was raining, but she didn't dance much if it was raining. No, she preferred to listen to sappier music during rain, so that she could get emotional and cry like a little idiot for no reason whatsoever. She was like that.

So she danced, until she saw Soma dancing alongside her. His dance was different, banging his head like if he was in a Metal concert while jamming on an air guitar like there was no tomorrow. He had one foot up on a chair for good measure.

Megumi screamed, which was quickly muffled by her own laughter.

"Soma!" she screamed at him, between her own laughs. She tried to stop herself, but Soma burst out laughing when she screamed, which made her laugh even more, and that seemed to make him laugh. It easily took them five minutes to catch their breath.

"What?" Soma asked while gasping for air. "I stood there for like three minutes and you didn't notice. I just thought that today's challenge was the dance cook-off."

"You're so mean," she shot back, playfully. She had to seat down for a moment, turning her music player off while at it. "That was so embarrassing."

"What, that you dance, most people do," he stated. "I'm quite the accomplished dancer myself."

"You are?"

"Yeah," he stood all proud as he said so. "My folks used to work all over the world before they set up Yukihira's, so my dad was busy working in fancy joints much like he is now. Difference was, that my mom, and later on, I would tag alongside him. I don't remember much of that, since I was at Yukihira's since before I was three, but they have videos of the activities. Videocassettes, do you remember those?"

"My mom has quite the movie collection," Megumi answered, remembering her living room. Every time she did it made her a bit homesick, to be so far away for too far long. "Our VHS still works, at least, I think it does."

"Cool, so does mine," Soma smiled as he said. Seemed like he was feeling the homesickness too. "So in those vids, my dad and my mom would dance, in the parties and festivities, when they weren't busy working up all those meals, they'd just enjoy the party like any other guest. And they knew how to dance. My mom was great, my dad was a quick learner. Still is, not sure he dances much anymore. He now mostly focuse-what?"

"You hardly ever talk about your parents," Megumi's answered, imagining that the look she had been giving him was what me him interrupt himself. She had known Soma for a few months already, yet this was the first time she had heard him talk about his parents in such detail. She had met his father, Jouichirou Yukihira, or Jouichirou Saiba as he was once called. A very frightening looking man who turned out to be quite the opposite. His skills as a cook were unrivaled by any but the best, Megumi had learned, but even with such an influential person as a father, Soma never talked about him much. Even more, it was the first time Megumi had heard him mention his mom at all. "You just looked so sweet, thinking back to them," she continued. "I don't think you've ever mentioned your mom. Does she still work alongside your dad?"

"Oh no," he smiled at her as he spoke. "She passed away when I was young; quite a few years ago."

Megumi wanted to slap herself.

"Oh my God, I'm so so-"

"Don't, don't feel guilty about something you had no way of knowing," he assured her, his right hand outstretched as a "stop that" sign. He spoke in a tone that tried to convey as much sincerity as he could. He honestly knew she wasn't psychic, and he had to face the truth every now and then. And above everything else, he trusted her. "Mom was great. She's why Yukihira's is what it is."

And now she understood. All those times he defended that restaurant, all that anger and determination to make sure no one insulted Yukihira's was more than just defending his honor. Or his home. Or his pride. It was her. Her legacy which he protected.

"That's so sweet Soma," she gave him a warm smile as she spoke. "I'm sure she must be so proud of you, your dad clearly was."

He just blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head a bit, as he would normally do when flustered. "I would presume so, at least I'm trying."

"And if you ever need to talk about anything like that," she continued. "My ears are all yours, you know it's the least I could do and I've told you enough about my life that it just may be your turn to stop hearing me babble."

"Nonsense," he assured her. "We're friends after all."

"Indeed," she got up, walking towards the fridge. She should really start cooking or otherwise the kitchen would soon be flooded by the rest. "I'm still surprised, I didn't know just how much Yukihira's meant to you. I just find it so adorable!"

"Seems like you girls are weak to sappy tales like that, huh?"

"It's not like that. It's cool to see a more tender side of you Soma, is all," Megumi stated, before thinking about his words. "But what do you mean "you girls"?"

"Oh, Erina said something similar."

Megumi cocked her head. _'Wait, what?'_

Soma, who never spoke about his parents to anyone, had actually told Erina Nakiri about his mom. The Erina Nakiri? The girl that last a few days ago had publicly shamed him? And, wait, since when did he refer to her by "Erina" instead of just "Nakiri". Were they close? Since when were they close? But the more she thought about it, the more _something_ makes sense.

Their interactions. The way she was looking so much at Soma during the game yesterday. Alice had been telling Megumi how Erina seemed love-struck yesterday, but Megumi though she was just joking because there was no way Erina would, like, fall for Soma. Never in a million years, right?

But the truth of the matter was that Erina had been eyeing Soma strangely. Like a kid looking at candy. Or a little girl looking at a new dress. Or a dog looking at freshly made bacon. Or…

…How Megumi herself looked at _him_.

"Tadokoro?" Soma's confusion was evident, mostly due by her silence.

"…Are you and Erina, err, involved in some way?" each word she said the volume of her voice went down until it was very hard to hear.

"Wait… not you too!" he face-palmed, avoiding her gaze. "Isshiki said the same thing! There's nothing between us, like at all. We're just friends," as he spoke, he pondered it. Are they friends? Could he honestly call Erina a friend? They argued, a lot. Friends argued all the time, he supposed. It wasn't until recently, like literally two days ago, that they could even begin to speak on friendlier terms. Before then, they weren't really friends. Rivals? Sure. She was the first person he met in Tootsuki that he wanted to impress, and he still does to this day. And that's not to mention _her_ cooking.

When Soma looked back at Megumi, the latter was pouting at him. _'Huh?'_

"If you become a couple with Erina," she threatened him while still pouting, much to his surprise. He wasn't sure if she was being serious or not, because in reality he couldn't have known. Megumi herself was unsure if she was being serious or not. She herself was unsure if she should even voice her concerns, her fear that she didn't expect to feel. To still feel. "And you don't tell me about it," she added, giving a change to the original intention to her comment. "I will stop talking to you."

He felt that that part was certainly serious. "I wouldn't do that…"

"Hey! Someone's using the kitchen," Yuuki's voice could be heard from upstairs, quickly followed by the pounding sound of the incoming stampede that was about to hit them.

"Oh, everyone's up," Megumi noted, leaving a rather confused Soma to ponder his thoughts as she quickly went back to cooking. No music this time, she was no longer in the mood to dance.

-0-

The princess of Tootsuki, the elder one of the two, woke up at around nine in the morning; her eyes slowly opening themselves as she could feel the sunshine hit her quilt-covered-head. She sat up on her bed, rubbing her eyes and stretching her body to try and shake of her drowsiness. She carried herself to the bathroom, turning on the faucet of the bathtub before disrobing of her nightclothes. Her hand took the bathwater's temperature, and once she found it satisfactory, she got herself in. Near the bathtub, on a counter opposite to the toilet, was a jar of vanilla-scented bath salts, which she used to pour a bit into the water. Once she got the desired amount in, she allowed her body to fall back. Brining should not be used exclusively for edibles, as a well "marinated" body allowed the skin to be kept healthy and soft.

It was a practice she did daily.

'_Dealing with so much stress at these events leaves such a massive strain on me,' _she thought as she felt like she could fall asleep any minute, as her body kept lowering itself further and further into the bath. _'Admittedly, while working on this Shokugeki with Hayama, I've been excused of every single one of my responsibilities of the Ten Seats, which is the silver lining to all of this. Granted, I'm sure several of them would love it if I actually lost and got kicked out of the Elite Ten, since I lost count how many times they've implied I have my seat because of who my grandfather is. I'll show them. Especially you Eishi, with your "I'm-so-untouchable" attitude. And Rindou too, she reminds me too much of everything I'm afraid Alice will become.'_

She closed her eyes, furthering the illusion that she could just drift to sleep at any given time. _'Just relax yourself Erina,' _she told herself mentally._ 'Today you just have to set up the meeting with Miyoko, then inform everyone. I'll start working on new, better dishes as well. Dishes Akira can't even begin to imagine. So while I have that planned,' _she carried on her thoughts, the warmth of the salted water relaxing every fiber of her body. _'I can, scratch that, should relax. Just marinate your own body. Take good care of it. A body should be well-done, dripped in oil all over that muscular torso with those broad shoulders and-'_

She accidentally swallowed some of the bathwater.

"Ack!" she struggled to breathe. Vanilla-scented did not exactly mean vanilla-flavored. "The heck? Am I for real?"

She struggled with herself, reminding herself not to scream too much lest she worry her maids. But she had not appreciated the direction her dream-narration seemed to have been heading. "So shameless!" she softly screamed, hugging her own knees as she sat up on the bathtub, with a massive blush on her face which she blamed the hot water for. "Am I seriously finding _him _attractive of all people? That's absurd."

She hugged herself tighter. Pouting.

"…I bet that's all over today's papers, those four going at it with me cheering like an idiot. Screw Yukihira, and those shows he puts on. It's his fault he got us so much unwanted attention. His fault I probably got a photo taken of me just bouncing up and down like a little girl on Christmas Eve. Sometimes I deserve these things…" she muttered, still pouting. "Maybe I should call him," she continued, unsure of where this feeling of animosity-mixed-with-admiration towards Soma was coming from. "Just to let him know what today's plan is. Just that. Just… calling h-them to inform them all of what we're doing. Yeah, I'll do that. I'll ca-"

Her cellphone began to ring, in that spicy melody she had downloaded which she loved to hum to herself when she was happy.

And as the melody began, she felt her chest tighten. "Is it-?" she thought to herself as she blushed. Was Soma Yukihira psychic? Here she was thinking about him, about calling him, and here he was calling her? Erina shook her head and silently scolded herself for being so childish. She was not a kid, and this was not a crush. So she got up, allowing the water to drip off her body, before wrapping a towel around her frame. Then she walked out of the bathroom, and back to her room. Caller identification showed that it was not who she had expected it to be.

"Kurokiba?" she asked bewildered. Never since she had added his number to her contacts had they even spoken, not even once. Was something wrong? "Morning."

"Oh, morning miss," he greeted back, sounding just as bewildered as her, probably that she even bothered to answer. "Did I wake you?"

"Not really…" she simply stated. Now she was worried. "Is Alice alright?"

"Milady? Yeah, I think so," he sounded confused, which caused her to feel a little agitated. "I am calling about her, at least."

"How so?" she asked as she was starting to lose her patience.

"Have you spoken to her today?" he asked, and Erina just blinked. This was weird.

"I have not," she stated, and he could hear him sigh from the other line.

"I'm at a lost then…" he stated, to which she felt her eyelid twitch. She had no idea how Alice communicated with this brute, but she was ever so glad that she had Hisako as an aide instead of him. Even trying to talk to him was stressful.

"Ryou," she tried to be polite. Tried. "Why are you calling me?"

"Milady's mad at me for some reason, she won't talk to me and she just left and won't pick up the phone," he stated, which made Erina feel stupid for getting worried. And while Ryou was at a loss, Erina had a pretty good idea what was annoying her cousin. "Not sure if I did something or not, but she's never like that, so…" his voice trailed off. Erina just took a deep breath.

"She's probably mad because you stripped," Erina clarified, which earned her a confused reaction from Ryou. "I know her, and you should too. So go apologize for being so shameless."

"What? But-"

She then hung up on him.

As she stared at her phone's screen for a moment, looking at the time, she pondered if she was really going to follow her cousin's example. Alice clearly had a thing for Ryou, it was clear even to Erina herself. But instead of doing like the protagonists of "Shoujo" would do, and confess, she just kept playing up the part of the "best friend". And then, while having no say in the matter, she got pissed off because half the campus had been eying her "best friend" topless. And, in a way, Erina had felt the same way. She had not liked the way that crowd had cheered when Soma had taken his shirt off.

How those girls eyes him like if he were another one of his own dishes.

That vulgar look that would not seem out of place on the face of a dirty, old man.

But was it really?

Alice had looked.

Hisako had looked.

Even sweet, innocent Megumi had looked.

"Even I did…" she muttered to herself, blushing even harder. What was she supposed to admit to herself here? That Soma Yukihira looked "okay" without a shirt on? That she "liked" the way his muscles contracted every time he dribbled, ran or took a shot? She could go back and forth on this all she wanted, but she could only reach one conclusion: She had also felt jealous yesterday, and that was the reason she had been annoyed at him this morning.

She was simply jealous.

So she called Alice.

"Hello?" he cousin was quick to answer.

"Morning," Erina greeted, before adding. "I take it you're pissed off at Ryou, am I correct?"

"Did he seriously call you?" Alice asked, half bemused, half annoyed. "What does he think, that you're going to scold me?"

"Should I?"

"What, no!" Alice quickly shot back, which caused Erina to smile a bit. Her cousin was always to sentimentally trigger-happy. "He's just worried because he knows he did something wrong, and I'm making that clear."

"You should work on how clear those messages you send are," Erina told her, much to Alice's confusion. "He honestly has no idea you're just jealous he gave all those girls a free show."

"…Must you rub it in?"

"Do you like him?"

"Wha-?" Alice's tone drifted into silence, as she felt herself get a bit surprised by the question. This was Erina, right? "Where does that come from?"

"Come on, you're the last person I'd think would hide her feelings," Erina stated, taking a seat on her bed. Her body should be dried enough already to avoid wetting the sheets. "You have to have feelings for the guy if you're jealous of what he did."

"Well, yeah, I guess," Alice confessed, causing Erina to blush even deeper. Despite her words, she had not expected her cousin to be so openly admitting of such details. Part of her even believed Alice would just say Erina was misinterpreting everything and they were just "close friends".

"Wait?" Erina basically shouted. "For real?"

"I really don't know," Alice answered, her tone lowered. "At first I just wanted to adopt a stray, you know?" Erina really didn't _know _how she expected that to work. Or how or why Aunty even allowed that to even happen. "Since my relationship with you had grown so distant thanks to _that_ asshole-" Erina felt herself flinch. "-it felt good to have a friend to share stuff with. To cook and to compete against. I've told you, we even bathed together on numerous occasions."

"I still feel that's a way too brazen attitude…"

"Well, it wasn't," Alice stated, then added: "At first, at least. Then I just, I don't know, felt even more possessive. I liked having him around. I liked having him be my "aide", like what you had with Hishoko, but soon it felt weird."

"Weird?"

"A good kind of weird," Alice explained. "And it all culminated at the Autumn Elections. I lost in my first round, and I was devastated. Mom probably lost her hearing in one ear because of me. But just seeing Ryou go at it, give his all at it, made me feel the proudest I've ever felt. And never did I think I'd put someone else's accomplishments above my own."

"…Is that love?" Erina asked.

"…If it's not," Alice admitted. "I don't know what is."

"Sounds sweet," Erina admitted with a smile. For all of Alice's faults, Erina really loved her dearly, and she adored when she saw that her cousin was happy. And she couldn't really deny it, Alice usually looked happiest when she was with Ryou. There was a reason Alice was currently in Team Akira instead of Team Erina.

"But, if you don't mind my asking," Alice interrupted her train of thoughts. "Why the sudden interest in my love life?"

"No reason," Erina lied.

-0-

What followed was a standard morning for the residents of Polar Star Dormitories, in as "standard" as they could manage. Across the table sat the group that had started as dorm mates and had become the closest of friends. The rebellious Soma Yukihira, the tender Megumi Tadokoro, the entrepreneur Satoshi Isshiki, the observant Shun Ibusaki, the beautiful Ryoko Sakaki, the upbeat Yuuki Yoshino, the brilliant Zenji Marui, the tough-guy Daigo Aoki and the tougher-guy Shoji Sato all sat across each other; stuffing themselves full with the food that Soma and Megumi had cooked up for their breakfast. They were all talking, chatting it up as they ate to their hearts content.

Fumio herself could not stop from smiling at the sight before her.

"You should have seen the way Akira asked Megumi out that day," Yuuki could be heard as she finished taking a sip of her drink. At the comment Soma shifted his gaze towards the brunette, who blushed slightly at the gesture and shook her head.

"Not like _that _Soma," Megumi clarified, as both Yuuki and Ryoko tried to suppress their laughter. They failed. "Could you two," Megumi continued, ignoring them. "Please keep the story within reality?"

"He did say it jokingly," Ryoko teased, causing Megumi to blush a bit. Soma felt a bit weirded out, since imagining Akira as a suitor for anyone would be a bit out of character for him; at least as far as Soma would think.

"It was not the point of the conversation nor the story," Megumi added.

"In any case," Yuuki interjected, while also motioning to Shoji to pass the black pepper. "After he asked Megumi here to join-thank you," she directed at Shoji. "-him on the match, Megumi here made us promise not to tell you about it. For surprise's sake."

"Makes sense," Soma admitted. "It was quite the surprise."

"They didn't tell us either," Zenji added, before turning to Soma. "We were just as surprised as you were. So blame them for it."

"It's a ladies-only thing Marui," Yuuki shot back, winking at him. As he frowned in response, Soma grabbed the black pepper from Yuuki, earning himself a playful scowl which he returned by sticking out his tongue at her.

"Well, ladies and Isshiki only thing," Ryoko stated while looking at their upperclassman, who gave a faint smile and raised his eyebrows in an over the top manner as he drank from his coffee. "It's really hard to keep a secret from him."

"None of you are keeping any secrets from me," Satoshi added to her statement, quickly glancing each individual seated member. "It's my job as the elder brother to keep you all safe, and in check."

"Do you have to make it sound so creepy?" Daigo interjected, while his buddy Shoji mouthed a "yeah" as a response.

"Creepy is as creepy goes," Satoshi stated. "It's only really creepy is you have something to hide. Do you?"

"What? No!" Daigo quickly shot back.

"I'd have to agree with Daigo," Soma spoke up, twirling the glass he had of grape juice in his hand as if it were fine wine. Why? He just liked doing it. "We'll probably have to pay you back, start learning all your secrets," he stated with a grin.

"Oh, you're welcomed to try," Satoshi replied in a joking tone, as if he were a manga villain. "But better men have tried and failed."

"Soma's an expert at that, he outwitted Mimasaka after all," Yuuki stated.

"That guy is creepy," Ryoko added, stiffening her posture a bit as she spoke. "Poor Takumi and Soma had to deal with that creeper watching your every move. Soma," she directed herself at Yukihira. "Why didn't you just speak to the faculty, there is a limit to what they allow students to do in regards to upcoming matches and such."

"I wasn't sacred," Soma explained. "I mean, he really never did anything other than spy and emulate me, so it didn't affect me directly. If I had just asked to have him kept away from me he could have been disqualified, and if that happened, I wouldn't have been able to win back all the cooking equipment he took from all those students."

"Admirable as always," Megumi mentioned, resting her head on her palm, as she had already finished eating. She didn't want to excuse herself just yet, since it had become increasingly rare to be able to sit around and eat with everyone from Polar Star Dorm ever since the Shokugeki had started. And it still had a long ways to go, she'd imagine.

"You know me," Soma declared.

"Did you finally return them all?" Zenji asked, while characteristically adjusting his glasses with his middle finger. No ill-intent meant, just a habit.

"Yes, and no," Soma answered, thinking back at all those cooking tools Subaru Mimasaka had taken from the students. "I've returned all but two. The mezzaluna is still parked in its case under my bed, and I still have a wooden-handled, rounded serrated edge knife from that kid, or girl, I think she's my age. Ava Payton I believe her name was."

"Wait, so you returned Joaquin's peeler?" Zenji asked, to which Soma nodded.

"You have just those two left?" Yuuki then asked, to which Soma nodded again.

"Takumi's stubborn, I get that," Shoji said, before adding, "but what's the deal with the other chick?"

"I can't get an address from her. She got kicked out of Tootsuki, and when Marui and I took it upon ourselves to find her," as Soma spoke, Marui just stared. At what point did he "took it upon himself" to help. He was practically forced to help. "The best we got was that she was working on a luxury cruise of sorts. Right Marui?"

"Indeed," Zenji stated. "The lass doesn't have a Facebook account or any sort of social media presence, so tracking her down would be hard. Furthermore, she's from the west, possibly Canadian from what I've gathered, so it's quite the trip the knife would need to make to be returned."

"Joaquin was from Mexico, so it's similar." Soma clarified, before adding. "I'll find the address soon enough, it's a very, very dull knife. She probably didn't even use it to cook, it's more decorative than anything."

"That's because it's a family treasure, so to speak," Satoshi interjected, which caused the group to focus on him. "For what I remember, which granted, isn't much, but I think her grandfather was active during World War Two, and as I'm sure you've all heard, the economy was bad worldwide, and the United States was hit pretty bad. Rations were giving to soldiers with just the essentials needed for nutrition, flavor wasn't a priority."

"Erina would die," Soma spoke with a laugh, as Yuuki gave him a curious look.

"Each 24-hour crate of portions contained things like loafs of bread, chocolate bars with raisins, oatmeal, biscuits, a not very big meat block, with some preserved meat on the side, cubes of broth, chewing gum, vitamins and such," as Satoshi spoke, he listed the things with his fingers. Counting stopped at nine. "There wasn't room for herbs, spices, condiments or such; even salt and pepper was limited, so the squad of usually twelve to fifteen men would pick an "honorary cook" amongst themselves to prepare the meals he could do. Ava's grandfather was the most chosen of his group, due to his culinary skills. That knife is probably from that time."

"Man that sounds awesome!" Soma exclaimed as he imagined himself a soldier of the greatest war ever fought, using the most limited of ingredients to cook up the greatest of meals, managing to keep his fellow soldiers alive with their hopes of being able to just once more taste his awesome cooking. Oh, and seeing their loved ones too.

"As much a good a history lesson as that is," Fumio interrupted the chatter, placing her hands on Isshiki's shoulders, giving the boy a soft massage. "You all have actual classes to attend to, save for Soma and Megumi who are still excused."

"Oh come on Fumio," Yuuki pouted as she spoke. "Let's take the day off."

"Nonsense, you little missy are as late as you could be, don't think I don't know your schedules," she wagged her finger at Yuuki, like a grandmother directing herself to her granddaughter. "You have class at 9:30, which you are late enough as is," she then turned to Ryoko. "You, Shun and Shoji have a class at 10:00," then she turned to Marui and Daigo. "And you two have one at 11:00."

"Ours is latter!" Daigo mockingly teased Shoji.

"Yeah, but it's with that asshole Chapelle!" Shoji barked back.

"Oh shit, that's right!" Daigo suddenly felt his face drain in fear.

"Now boys, language," Fumio told the two, as they both bowed and apologized. She then turned to the elder boy. "And don't you forget you also have a meeting with the Elite today."

"That I do," Satoshi stated, smiling. "I have to give a good word for Soma and Megumi."

"Very good," Fumio stated, before adding. "Now then, everyone, you know the drill. Get everything cleaned up and go on out. Yuuki," she turned to the petite chef. "Don't get used to me babying you, alright, but since you are going to be late, I'll take care of your dishes, now go."

"Thank you!" she exclaimed as she got up, and ran to her room to get her stuff. "Last time, promise!"

"I say the same thing to myself," Fumio softly spoke to herself.

"Oh boy, the day officially starts," Ryoko spoke up as she, alongside everybody, stood up and began to pick up after themselves. "By the way, you're quieter than usual today Shun."

"I had nothing to add," the boy stated, helping her with her plates against her silent protests.

"You always have something to add, or should at least," she shot back.

As they all moved and worked on the things they needed to get done, Megumi couldn't help but smile. She adored this place, how livid and friendly it was. As she turned, she saw that Soma was still sitting down, eyeing the knife as he examined it on his hand. "Soma?"

"It's funny isn't it?" he asked her, but before she could respond, he explained. "A knife used to keep an American squadron alive during the Second Great War," he then turned to her with a knowing grin. "Here in the hands of a Japanese youth…"

The irony was not lost on her.

-0-

As Soma rested himself on his bed, he crossed his hands against the back of his head, creating himself a pillow with them. He simply stared at the ceiling, lost in thought as to what came next. He had been imagining new dishes he could bring to the table next time Erina and the group got together, so that he could impress them, impress her and win this thing. Above all else, even above getting back at Akira, he wanted her to say it. To say that his food was good, with that overhyped tongue of hers. _'God's Tongue, and mom's style…' _he pondered. _'But is it really? Should I try another one of her dishes to see if the dumplings were just a fluke? Or maybe I should ask dad, I mean, he went to school here, and he knows the old man, maybe he knows Erina… Maybe mom did too… That'd be weird."_

Then came a knock on the door.

"It's open," Soma spoke up. As the door opened up, Soma saw it was Zenji Marui, looking a bit peeved for some reason. Well, more so than usual.

"Phone call Soma," he told him, adjusting his glasses with one hand while handing Soma his cellphone with the other. This time he meant the gesture. "Would you stop using my phone as your own?"

"What? I only did that a few times some time ago," Soma explained himself as he sat up, grabbing the phone. "I didn't have mine for long so I didn't know the number, and since yours is the easiest to remember, so…"

"Just give it back once you're done," Marui clarified, exiting the room, but not before adding, "I have class at eleven, so I'll need it back by ten-thirty… Heck, just tell her to call yours!"

"Sure thing Marui!" Soma told his retreating form. _'Her?'_

It was a girl calling? He hadn't given this number to any girls, save for one in particular. Could it be? Well, one way to find out.

"Hello!" was the overly-cheerful greeting Soma gave.

"Morning Soma," was the professional reply he received, though his guess was proven correct. "Are you busy, currently, at the moment I mean?"

"Not really," he admitted, crossing his legs as he took on a different seated position. "Kinda weird for you to call me out of the blue Boss, I'm not fired, am I?"

"I'd wish," Erina told him, in a serious manner but he still heard her gave out a soft laugh. "I'm just calling to inform you that I already set up our first "class" with Miyoko Hojou, at around ten in the morning tomorrow. That will give you all time to do some research on your own and bring new ideas onto the table when we meet up."

"Hey, great minds must think alike," Soma replied, then added, "Here I was thinking up a few dishes that I'm sure you'll adore. Some high-grade dishes that'll leave that tongue of yours aching to have some more."

"You insult me," she stated, but he didn't feel any of her usual ill-intent behind it. He was a little on the fence about joking with her like he usually did with everyone in Polar Star Dorms, what with her being his boss and all, but she seemed to be alright with it. "The day you bring something that my palate considers superior to the rest is the day I accept Alice is the better-looking one amongst us."

"She could be," Soma mocked, and smiled when he heard her scoff in response. "And you love my food, you just never give it the proper chance, or the honest response. You admitted it before."

"I have?" her bewildered tone made herself sound offended. But the playfulness behind it made her sound different to Soma. A _good _kind of different. "When did I ever state that?"

"When you tried to have me kicked out."

"Please specify."

"…You know, it's cruel that you're not joking with that part," he admitted while he thought back on the sheer number of times he almost got expelled and she looked like the happiest of campers. "And I mean the first time, when you ate my "Transforming Furikake Gohan", trademark of Yukihira delicacies by the way…"

"Oh, that," she said as she remembered. It was, a unique taste, to say the least. The feeling of angels bestowing themselves upon her, which for some unexplained reason she imagined with Soma's face and trying to strip her of everything. The food had been good, not anything out of this world, but given how much he has improved since then, she was sure he could prepare something so much better now. Fat chance her admitting it to him, though. "It was decent, at best. Certainly not to Tootsuki's standards. Grandpa just felt pity on you, given that you were the only one who bothered to even attempt the exam."

"Then why were you going in for a second taste?" she could feel his grinning face leering at her from the phone. She shivered.

"Don't flatter yourself," she kept her tone calm and collected, while thanking the distance between them so he couldn't see her blush. "I was just so insulted I instinctively tried to make sure it hadn't been a joke that I had been offered such a simplistic, unworthy dish."

"You liked it."

"Did not."

"Did so," he repeated, before changing the subject with, "and as for new dishes for tomorrow, I'm planning to showcase this dish that my mom cooked up a few times, then when you taste it tomorrow you'll have no choice but to admit you love it."

"Did not-you can bring whatever you want as long as it's Chinese-American, or something that can complement such a dish well," Erina stated, before adding, "And if it's your mother's it doesn't count."

"Count how?"

"On my admitting that I like your cooking," she explained, and gave a faint smile as she could sense him frowning. "If it's her recipe, then I'll admit I like _her_ cooking, not yours."

"Oh you cheater," he said, resting his back against the bedframe. "I never said it was her recipe, thou, I said it was something she used to cook. This is all me, my own recipe on the classic dish."

"Then I'll hate it," if her tone had not been playful, he would have been annoyed. Instead he just burst out laughing. His laugh had a sincerity to it that made it hard not to laugh alongside him. Erina found it annoying and endearing at the same time.

"That's cute…" he muttered, sarcastically.

"I know I am."

"…Huh?" he paused for a moment. Had he heard her right? That sounded an awful look like… "Erina Nakiri… Are you flirting with me?"

"As if," her response was so sudden if felt rehearsed. As if she had caught on the meaning of her own words before even he did and had a response prepared to counter it if needed. Or at least, that's what he thought. "Don't mix your dreams with reality."

"Right…" he wouldn't mention how as of late that last comment of hers wasn't completely untrue. "In all seriousness though," he mentioned, changing the topic. "This is Marui's phone, I thought you had mine."

"Who's Marui?"

"Bespeckled fellow, resident at Polar Star," Soma described him for her. "Somewhat lanky, smartest guy in all of the first year alumni by far."

"Oh," she pondered. "Okay," she probably had no idea who he meant. "So, he's not your secretary?"

"Of course not," Soma just laughed a bit at that. "How would a commoner like me manage to get a secretary? He's a friend, one who wants me to stop using his phone. So," he stated, while taking his own phone out. "Give me a sec and I'll text you so you can save _my_ number."

"Alright," Erina replied as she shifted her legs in place. She currently laid on her bed facedown, her knees bent with her legs up in the air, hugging her body-pillow on her arms as she spoke with her phone on her hand. She was imitating the pose many manga schoolgirls did when they were talking to their love interests on their bed.

There was no connection whatsoever between that description and her current state, however, she told herself.

-0-

Later on the day Takumi and Isami were walking through the markets that composed most of Tootsuki, with Takumi searching for something in particular and Isami accompanying. As the twins searched around, Isami simply observed. Out of all of the alumni here at Tootsuki, Isami sometimes felt the most out of place. Not due to skill or talent, he had that covered and he planned on continuing to improve. But he felt out of place due to the fact that all this highly expensive _things _Tootsuki had the pleasure of owning all around the campus made someone from such a more modest upbringing feel a bit overwhelmed. He was sure his brother, and to a similar extent Soma, felt the same way. Their sheer passion overshadowed the expensiveness of it all. Isami, on the other hand, found it absurd. In a way, he could allow himself to be impressed by it all, while Takumi and Soma just focused on the next challenger and ignored their surroundings, mostly. Which, considering what they were told in class today, that next challenge was much closer than they had originally expected.

"So, Isami, you think I should just stock up on everything," his brother caused him to focus his attention back on the shopping at hand. "We have no idea what the themes will be, so I think we should practice on a little bit of everything. Gotta stay ahead of the curve."

"Ahead of Soma?" Isami asked, to which Takumi eyed him strangely.

"Well, yeah, but I'm not thinking about just him twenty-four-seven, you know," Takumi explained to his younger-by-a-few-minutes brother. "I have other rivals, like every single member of the Elite Ten for instance, and that bastard Mimasaka. So, in essence, Soma's just one of many."

"I'd imagine," Isami nodded as he spoke. "But I meant ahead of Soma on the line, because he's here too."

"Huh? He is?" Takumi questioned as his little brother pointed his index finger towards where his redheaded rival currently stood, minding his own business while looking at several fruits on display. Takumi just narrowed his eyes in response. _'He's everywhere these days, it would seem.'_

"…Should I try a few pineapples today," Soma muttered to himself as he took a fruit in his hand and took in its weight. Seemed alright to him.

"Shopping Soma?" Takumi's voice caused the redhead to turn towards the blond.

"Hey, Takumi! Isami!" he greeted the siblings, flashing the two a bright smile. "Sure am. Working on a new dish for tomorrow's meeting with Erina. Oh, and thanks again for the help yesterday. I wouldn't be having a meeting tomorrow if you didn't turn out to be such an all-star player."

"Don't get used to it, that was a one time thing only," Takumi instantly reverted back to his rival-versus-rival attitude, which caused Isami to just feel a little bit amused.

"I figured," Soma answered back, pretty much already used to it.

"You've got a good dish ready to beat down Akira?" Isami asked Soma, who eagerly nodded like a happy little kid.

"Yeah! I'm working to make various Chinese-American dishes for tomorrow," he began, as both Takumi and Isami felt they were going to hear way more than they had asked for. "First I thought I'd make a Kung Pao styled chicken, with my own alterations, but I don't feel like that would be enough. Then, I thought I would try my hand at some Sweet-and-Sour pork and chicken combo, hence the pineapple in my hand," he motioned to the fruit. "But even more than that, I told Erina about a dish my mom used to make, based on Mongolian cuisine which used beef, chicken and shrimp with a sweet, almost caramel-based sauce. Since I couldn't decide, I'm cooking up all three tonight and deciding once I do so."

"Sounds… delicious if I'm honest," Takumi stated, pondering a bit. "A little excessive on the meats, but I'm sure you'll make it work."

"Indeed," Isami added. "Soma has us beat when it comes to either American or Chinese restaurants if he's assigned to either."

"I doubt they'd let him have it that easy," Takumi countered, as Soma cocked his head to the side, a bit lost on where the conversation was headed.

"Assigned what?" he asked the Italian siblings. "My Shokugeki is Chinese-American, they're not going to change it."

"Oh, not that," Takumi answered, giving Soma a soft smile. "It's what you'll face after that."

"They already told us what we're going to be assigned after the Shokugeki between Erina and Akira culminates," Isami added.

"They refer to it as the Stagiaire," Takumi stated.

"Stagiaire?" Soma repeated, trying to understand what it was. Knowing Tootsuki, some crazy event to try and get more students expelled. "It's another crazy thing, right?"

"We don't have much details on it yet," Isami answered, resting his still thin frame against the nearby wall. Once the cold began to hit them again, he'd plump right up to his usual size. He preferred himself chunky. "It's kind of an internship, of sorts, from what we've been told."

"We'll be sent somewhere to work, and based on the results they'll tell us if we're returning or not," Takumi finished, giving Soma an "I-know-you're-as-excited-about-this-as-I-am" grin. Soma gave him a "damn-right-I-am" one in return.

"That sounds awesome!" Soma practically cheered. "So once we beat Akira, I'll get to work on an actual restaurant again. That makes my blood boil."

"Indeed," Takumi stated, before turning towards the aisles. "By the way, if you're shopping, you're free to join us."

"Oh, right, sure!" Soma responded, placing the pineapple in a bag and then on his cart. The trio then spent the rest of their visit shopping and chatting, eager to face off against whatever the Stagiaire would bring.

-0-

Soma had spent most of the early afternoon at the mart, taking his time to decide on what his ingredients would be for his task tomorrow. Operation "Finally Get Erina To Confess She Likes My Cooking" is a go, and he needed to be prepared. So when it came down to choosing the meats, he decided to consult an expert.

"Can you hear me now?" Soma asked as he spoke to the speaker on the headphones he was wearing, as he got off his bike and proceeded to pick out his groceries. "I told you, I was on my bike. I'm hands-free, but the wind made it hard for you to hear me. I heard you perfectly, if that helps."

"Oh forget it," even if it was by phone, Soma could tell Ikumi Mito was frowning. She had quite the temper. "Remember, store that meat I told you at exactly negative ten degrees, otherwise it will lose flavor."

"Yeah, yeah, got it," he spoke as he struggled to pick up all the bags and walk towards the dorm. He was still not sure it had been a smart move to buy more stuff that both Aldini brothers combined. "Thanks for the assist though, I knew no one would know meat more than you Nikumi."

"Are you going to keep using that nickname on me?" the dark-skinned blonde spoke, on a slightly softer tone than usual. She wondered if it was just a habit for Soma to call her as such or if there was actual affection involved. It was hard to tell with Soma "oblivious-to-love" Yukihira.

"Your name's not Nikumi?"

Or he was just an idiot.

"Of course not!" she was screaming again, which he received on the double thanks to the headphones. "It's Ikumi Mito, you can call me Ikumi!"

"Oh, okay," he spoke as he struggled to take out the keys to the front door from his pocket. He had been standing in front of the door for nearly two minutes already. "Ikumi, got it. I have to make a mental note of it all. Alice, Hisako and Ikumi. Am I missing anybody?"

"You're horrible with names, aren't you?"

"Not really," he defended himself, even if he knew she was right. "I've learned a few without much trouble, like Erina's for example."

"Oh come on, everybody knows her…" then it hit her. "Erina, you're on first-name basis with Milady?"

"You call her that too?"

"Of course, she's my superior," she explained, then added, "or was, before you made me join up with that idiot Kanachi!"

"Ah," he said with a huge grin, half because he remembered the Shokugeki between Ikumi and himself, and half because he finally managed to get his keys. "What's he been up to lately?"

"Don't change the subject!"

"I'm not," he stated as he entered the dorms, placing the bags on the floor to allow his arms to breathe. Negative ten degrees; that should be the priority. The largest of the freezers should suffice. "I was just stating… Wait a minute," he paused briefly, before adding a slightly rushed, "I'll call you back Ni-Ikumi, something's weird here."

"Oh, okay," she mentioned, slightly concerned due to his change in tone. "Let me know if everything's alright."

"Sure thing," Soma promised as he hanged up on his cellphone. It wasn't weird what he was seeing as opposed to what he was hearing. He was in the main hall, where he had first met Fumio when he first arrived in Tootsuki. But on the kitchen, were just this morning the whole group had gathered, he could hear people talking. Just not the usual people. Fumio was there, and while he couldn't decipher her words, he could by her tone tell she was upset. There were other voices, ones he couldn't really connect to a particular face, but whom he believed belonged to fellow faculty members. The loudest voice, however, with the biggest, most demanding presence was one he could never in a hundred years confuse for anyone else.

It was Senzaemon Nakiri.

'_The Director's in our kitchen?'_ Soma thought as he moved his head towards the wall, to try and make the words out. _'Are we having a new roommate? Or was someone kicked out? Oh, I hope not!'_

As much as he knew it was improper, he was too worried not to barge into the kitchen as they spoke. But to avoid looking like an uncivilized brat, he was going to keep his headphones on and carry the grocery bags as if he had just arrived and was just simply restocking the fridge. The perfect plan.

So he walked in.

"-chance to actually tell us what happened, he deserves at least that!" Fumio could now clearly be heard stating, rather loudly, as Soma entered the kitchen, wondering if this had been such a hot idea. The look on everyone's faces would not be out of place on a funeral. "Soma!" Fumio seemed shocked to see the boy, as if she had forgotten that students actually lived here.

"Oh, pardon me," the redhead feigned ignorance, as he placed the shopping bags down, and removed his (silent) headphones. "Sorry for the intrusion. I had no idea there was a meeting. I'll wait outside."

"That's alright Soma," Senzaemon's voice made him stop. He was a lot colder than he had ever heard the old man be, despite the supposedly reassuring words he had just used. "This does concern you after all."

"Me?" Soma felt a little relieve hit him (since none of his friends were in trouble) followed by a massive sense of worry smack right into him (since it meant _he _was in trouble).

"Yes, my boy, you," Senzaemon clarified, as all the other staff members in the kitchen, four if you included Fumio, just turned their attention towards the elder man. "Here in Tootsuki we pride ourselves in not just our cooking, but in our ethics as well. For one such as-"

"Oh come on Senzaemon," Fumio interrupted, clearly pissed. Much more so than Soma had ever seen the elder woman be. "This is bull, and you know it!"

"Ma'am!" one of the others present interjected, but the glare Fumio gave him made him just mutter a quick apology and shift his sunglasses-covered gaze back onto the floor. He remained like that for a while.

"Fumio, please," Senzaemon's tone lowered, in a more pleading manner. "You must understand, my hands are tied."

"Um…" Soma raised his hands as he spoke, like a little kid in class asking for a bathroom break. It was a fitting analogy. He sure felt like one. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"…I'm sorry to have to say this Soma," Senzaemon stated, his voice now sounding more like how he normally used to sound. Softer. Calmer. More grandfather-like. It made Soma feel a little more at ease, but not overly so. Whatever it was he was going to tell him, it was not good. And at that moment, his mind shifted to Erina. Had something happened with the Shokugeki? Had something happened to her? That thought worried him even more.

"Is Er-"

"You're expelled Soma."

* * *

%


	11. Shokugeki (With) No Soma

**Rating:** T+

**Pairing:** Soma/Erina

**Genre:** _Slow_ Romance (But Now With Faster Updates!)

**Notes:**

First and foremost, a big "_thank you_" to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed or simply read and enjoyed the last chapter of _Nouvelle_. It's the greatest feeling to see so many of you so interested on just what's happening right now. And my friends, answers you will have. As for the cliffhanger, I apologize. Well, not really, your responses were hilarious, but, for what it's worth, I don't intend on doing that many more cliffhangers. Keyword: many.

Also, this was my intention since I started this story; to throw that curveball at everyone. While I won't spoil my own story here on the notes (where's the fun in that?) I will however confess something that I've been hinting at subtly throughout the last ten (10) chapters. There is much, much more to _Nouvelle _than what's been presented here so far. And that has been the intention since the start. I hope you're all "ok" with going along this journey with me, because it just may end up being a little longer than you had originally anticipated!

And lastly, remember to check my Polls on my Profile Page! Help me decide which side pairing(s) will be featured more prominently in _Nouvelle_.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

* * *

His mind went blank.

Soma couldn't even continue to focus on what Senzaemon was saying, hearing only a few words and phrases like "unfortunately", "last", "doubtfully", "last time", "ashamed" and being unable to register any of them. He forced himself not to look down, not to let his eyes face anything else but the man himself. The man who was telling him he did not deserve the right to remain in Tootsuki Academy.

The man who was currently expelling him.

It was too unreal for him.

"What sort of joke is this?" Soma shouted, slamming his palms onto the table in a sudden surge of rage that took over him as soon as his brain managed to register just what was happening. At the moment he realized he was being expelled, his mind made a full checklist of everything he had done the last few days. He had lost the first round of the Shokugeki, had he ever bet his expulsion against Akira if he lost? No, there was never any risk there. The Shokugeki was between Erina betting her Seat and Akira betting his recipe journal. Soma had nothing to actually lose in that match aside from another blow to his pride. "I've only lost the first round of the match, out of three!" he voiced his thoughts, at the top of his lungs. This was wrong, so wrong. "At no point was my career at risk, Hayama even said so!"

"Settle down Soma," Senzaemon spoke, his voice chill and calm at the same time, like a father who would not tolerate a child of his to raise his voice at him. But Soma was sure he was not his child.

"How can I?" he shouted even louder. "This isn't fair, and it doesn't make any sense! I've worked my ass of here at Tootsuki. I reached second in the Autumn Elections, I've been working on Erina's restaurant all these past few days, helping her as best I could even if I was made to only clean tables and floors. Yesterday she made me her Assistant Manager, and I won her more money on a fair and legal event which you yourself attended and approved! Where did I go wrong? Under what authority are you kicking me out?"

"Settle down," his voice was twice as cold; a calm and direct order, which despite his inner furry being at a maximum level at the moment, Soma reflexively stopped. Senzaemon's tone was serious, as if warning Soma to calm himself or Senzaemon himself would calm him. It reminded him for a moment of his own father, when the latter had to scold Soma when he was younger. It hardly ever happen, since Jouichirou Yukihira was probably the most chill and relaxed person Soma had ever met. Soma could smack him in the face with a frying pan and his dad would probably laugh it off and just tell him not to do it again. It had actually happened, when Soma was six and he was "playing" with his dad one time; an "accidental" slap later and all Jouichirou told him was "don't do that again, it's rude". But those very few times Soma was, like all kids, a genuine brat, Jouichirou was just strict and to the point. A few words and Soma was standing straighter than a lamp post. Senzaemon had a similar presence, one that Soma had not seen before. Nor would he have wanted to.

"…I'm sorry," Soma spoke up, his tone lowered, but his eyes still fixated on the old man. He fought back the raw emotion, the desire to scream, to shout, to punch the table, to knock everything down. The desire to cry. His chest hurt too much, and he didn't know how he wanted to respond. For the first time ever since he set foot in Tootsuki, he felt like he needed his dad. And that made him feel like he wasn't as grown up as he had boasted about for the last few months.

"…It's alright," Senzaemon replied, his tone also lowered. Soma was slightly surprised, as he had expected the old man to carry on with his threatening tone, but Senzaemon simply shook his head slightly. "I came off the wrong way, you have every right to be perplexed, I should be more understanding," the old man explained, giving Soma a softer gaze. "Blame my parental instincts, since I know you are getting closer to my granddaughter than I would have imagined."

"Are you kicking me out because of that?" Soma asked, to Senzaemon's surprise. He had expected the young redhead to deny the allegations or be surprised by the Director of the academy hinting at a relationship between himself and latter's granddaughter. He suppose Soma had bigger problems at the moment.

"No, of course not," Senzaemon answered, crossing his fingers as he rested his hands on the table. Had he the intention of keeping his granddaughters single, Ryou Kurokiba would have been kicked out since day one. "I just mention that because of the allegations held against you, I would not want someone like that involved with my granddaughter. If it wasn't for that, as long as you treat her well, I would never expel you for it."

"It's not like that," Soma muttered, blushing a bit at the comment. Senzaemon figured that meant that Soma had finally caught onto the meaning behind his earlier comment.

"Regardless, let us both communicate with each other first and foremost," Senzaemon began, resting his body against the back of the chair, relaxing his posture. "I will explain everything with as much clarity and evidence as I'm required, so there is no need for you to raise your voice. Likewise," he added, lowering his gaze a bit, before finishing with: "there will be no further scolding from me, as I am not _your_ grandfather and, regardless of our difference in age, I still owe you my respect. I apologize for my behavior."

"Uh… it's alright…" Soma responded, not sure how this had turned out the way it did. So, for all intents and purposes, Soma supposed that it would be a good idea to just listen to what the old man wanted to say. "I'm all ears, I guess."

"Thank you for your understanding Soma," Senzaemon replied, giving the younger boy a soft smile. "I should probably explain everything to you now."

"You think?" Fumio's voice interrupted the tension between the two, causing the two to shift themselves a bit as they had, for all intents and purposes, forgotten she was even there. Even more so the three other staff members, who were just as quiet as could be; so much that they could be mistaken for wallpaper. Fumio, on the other hand, walked directly to where Soma was and placed her hands on his shoulders, just like Soma had seen her do to Isshiki during their breakfast that very morning. In that instant Soma felt his nervousness die down. "I was about to smack you Senzaemon. You can't just say that to someone and expect a level-headed response. You have been the director here for a really long time, you should know better by now."

"…But I apologized," the older man replied weakly.

"And Soma was graceful enough to accept it," she continued her defense on Soma's behalf, which made him feel even more at ease. "So let us start from the beginning."

"Right," Senzaemon sounded as a scolded child as he spoke, a complete inverse of his former attitude. Soma would have laughed, but he was still worried. They were going to explain it, but did that mean that there was actually a true cause for concern? A legitimate reason for his expulsion. "We were notified of some suspicious activity involving you Soma as of late, which while I was skeptical of for the longest time, I was nonetheless required to authorize an investigation on the matter," he began the explanation, and Soma was still just as lost as he had been when he first entered the kitchen. Suspicious activity? Investigation? Did he murder someone? He hadn't feed anyone his special squid tentacles with peanut butter recipe for quite some time. "So the investigation that the members of the faculty who handle these situations was done and the findings were presented to me just a few hours ago."

"I'm not following," Soma admitted, to which Senzaemon nodded.

"I understand, just bear with me here," Senzaemon expressed, before continuing, "I'm required to explain the procedure to you, just so that you are aware that protocol was followed and none of your rights as a student were ever violated. The staff members who undertook this investigation are these three gentlemen present here with us today," he explained, signaling the other three in the kitchen with his right hand. "They then presented me with their results, which led me to take the decision of approving your expulsion in order to comply with Tootsuki's standards and procedures, which as I have here," he signaled a folder he had placed on the table, before concluding with, "you have read and signed the moment you were admitted to Tootsuki Academy."

"…You're still not telling me why…" Soma bit down his exasperation as he spoke. If he was going to solve this, he needed to remain calm and collected, otherwise he could be genuinely kicked out of Tootsuki for killing someone or something.

"This is the reason," Senzaemon answered as he placed something on the table, which caused Soma's eyes to widen in shock.

"That's…"

-0-

His room was silent.

Only the sound of the fan in its lowest setting could be heard, as the television, radio and any other electronic that could disrupt his silence were currently turned off. He wanted the silence, no, he needed the silence. It helped him think. It helped him work out in his mind just what was going to transpire; that which in just a matter of hours, could disrupt all over Tootsuki like a hurricane of immense proportions. Because one way or the other, the status-quo that many have begun to become accustomed to was going to change in the best way possible. At least, that's how Etsuya Eizan saw it.

The young blond student of Tootsuki Culinary Academy from the 91st Generation sat on his bed, a much less proper or professional place to "work", but it did allow him the privacy he needed. And privacy he did need. If this was going to work, no one could know.

His phone beeped, signaling an incoming text which Eizan had been waiting for.

Eizan quickly took his cellphone with his hand, sliding his finger across the touchscreen to unlock it, and gave the text a quick read. It read: "He has entered."

At this Eizan smiled. Showtime. So he texted back: "Received. Keep me posted."

Then he waited. The text was sent, and the wait was unbearable. And he hated himself for it. This was not like him. He was usually more composed, more professional. He never got personally involved, not like this. This was too big a risk even for him. _'Nonsense. This more than anything needs my full, undivided attention,' _he told himself in thoughts.

The next text came, it read: "He was told. His reaction is as you predicted."

Eizan burst out laughing. This is why he needed to be alone. He could hardly contain his joy. He texted back: "Describe him for me."

That felt unnecessary, as he didn't really need to know. But boy did it feel good to know. Just imagining his face was enough to brighten what was left of Eizan's day. Then the chime from his phone came. New text. It read: "Distraught. He's screaming at the Director. The expulsion is unavoidable."

The laughing returned, as Eizan laid himself on his bed, holding in the desire to jump up and down due to sheer joy. He needed to restrain himself. Dorm rooms had limits to what couldn't be heard between them. So, instead, he opted to just reply back. He wrote: "Perfect. Keep me posted. And keep yourself discreet."

And it was sent. And as soon as Eizan was done, he just closed his eyes. _'This is how it ends Yukihira, when you mess with me,' _he said to himself, wishing so badly to be able to tell it to Soma Yukihira directly, but he knew he couldn't have his cake and eat it too. Some professionalism was needed. _'Losing a Shokugeki or failing a class is not the only way to get expelled. This is an academy after all. And regulations are always present. So, how does it feel? How does it feel to know that there's no final show? No big duel against the greatest, no competition to earn your chance to gain a seated position. No big event. You're just expelled like any lawbreaking chump.'_

Even if he couldn't ask Soma directly, he knew, in the bottom of his heart, the response Soma would give.

'_The absolute worst…'_

-0-

"That's…" Soma repeated, in a similar tone as when he had said that word mere seconds ago. Maybe his own brain had reset briefly and restarted itself. Soma would not be surprised if that was the case. "That's," he said a third time for good measure, before concluding with, "actually really pretty. What is it?"

The room fell silent. Senzaemon just blinked a bit, before rubbing his eyes a bit with his index finger and thumb. "That's Methamphetamine Soma, the crystalline neurotoxin which is used as a controlled substance by many who have become addicted to its effects."

"A drug!" Soma blurted out. Was he serious? "Are you serious?" he repeated his thoughts out loud, while adding "Why would I be using that? Why would you accuse me of it?"

"As I said, an investigation was conducted. That bag I just placed there was found today on your room, hidden inside a shoe inside its box within the closet," as Senzaemon spoke, Soma was in shock. Inside a shoe, inside a box, inside the closet, inside his room… What shoes? Before he could voice that, Senzaemon continued. "This was found wrapped inside used food wrappers within the Polar Star Dormitories' dumpster, sometime late last night," he mentioned as he placed a plastic bag with a crystal pipe with a rounded shape at the end inside. Soma did not have to be a genius to know what that was. "Which, upon examined, tested positive to containing traces of your saliva."

"What!" Soma was on his feet again. While he could still feel Fumio's hands on his shoulders, which was the only thing that kept him from slamming the table again, Soma felt himself enraged. "This is so clearly a set-up, I mean, I don't know why, but I've never taken anything like that in my life."

"I was inclined to believe you," Senzaemon admitted, but added, "at first, when we got word of some alumni utilizing what they refer to as crystal meth, amongst other substances, we considered it just rumors. Tootsuki's very strict when it comes to drug usage, and it's not something that happens at all often. Still, investigations are protocol. Especially when you began to act strangely."

"Strangely?" the young redhead chef in training repeated.

"You participated in the first round of the Shokugeki between my granddaughter and Akira Hayama, which took all night to conclude, and you left Erina home at around four in the morning. You told multiple people you weren't able to sleep at all during that night, as you began to jog instead of going to bed."

"Jog?" his eyed widened. "Did Isshiki say that?" his voice cracked as he spoke that. Fumio pressed her hands against his shoulders softly, but Soma felt his body just break. Was Satoshi Isshiki among those who believed all this?

"Then, you went to your team meeting," Senzaemon continued, ignoring or refusing to answer Soma's question. "After which, you partook in a fifteen minute basketball game between yourself, Takumi Aldini, Akira Hayama and Ryou Kurokiba. A game which you won. And I saw you play. Am I expected to believe you could, without a wink of sleep, do all that and not show a single sign of tiredness?"

"But it's true," Soma tried his best to process his thoughts as he spoke. It made sense now, he was being set-up. But it had been so perfectly integrated with reality that no one would believe it wasn't true. He had to find a way to explain himself. The set-up had been perfectly done. He had acted like if he was pumped full of energy, both during the Shokugeki and again during the game. They left drugs on his room, and a pipe on his leftovers. It was easy. But he needed to prove that all wrong, or his career at Tootsuki was really going to come to an end. He was really going to be expelled.

'_No!' _he shouted to himself inside his mind. _'Not yet, not now. Not when Erina has finally accepted me as an equal. Not when I can beat Akira. Not when I'm enjoying myself so much with all of them. With Tadokoro, with Takumi, with Ikumi, with everyone here. They are not getting rid of me like this. If they want me out, they will have to beat me in the kitchen!'_

"You expect us to believe you did all of that without the use of these," Senzaemon mentioned, signaling the drugs with a noticeable disdain. "…substances."

"I would, because I haven't used a single one of those," Soma clarified, before sitting himself once again directly in front of Senzaemon. His gaze directed at the old man's own. Let him see if they were in any way reddish or unfocused. "While I did do all that, I never cooked during the Shokugeki, and as any chef can tell you, cooking is the most tiring part of working in any restaurant."

"You did run around the Academy searching for the wraps that Erina ran out of," Senzaemon countered.

"On my bike, which doesn't take much effort," Soma shot back. He could play this game too. "I was excited and nervous. Erina made a fool out of me in front of everyone, so I was extra determined to prove myself useful to her. So my body kept on working, naturally," he added with emphasis.

"And you didn't require sleep afterwards?" Senzaemon continued. Soma expected it.

"I probably did, but I couldn't sleep because my heart wouldn't stop beating. I started to jog because I couldn't think of another way to cooldown," Soma explained, trying to keep his tone calm. "Then, when our meeting was scheduled, I decided to just go to it instead of trying to sleep. One thing led to another, and I decided to play against Akira to win ourselves some much needed funds."

"While tired?"

"I had just been promoted," Soma answered. "That motivated me further."

"Soma, I really want to believe you," Senzaemon admitted. "But I'm focusing on the plausibility of the events. And I just can't fathom you doing all that just out of sheer force of will."

"But it's the truth!" Soma barked back, feeling like if he was being buried under the pressure of it all. As much as he tried to rationalize it, he couldn't come up with a reason as to how he could do all that. Even he wouldn't believe himself. Where had that strength come from? Why did he do all that…? Then, as soon as he asked himself that, he remembered. It was so obvious.

"Soma, unless you give me plausible deniability, my hands are tied," Senzaemon explained, but it sounded like a plea. As if he wanted Soma to prove him wrong. Prove him wrong he would then. "Please Soma," he continued, "Was there something that pushed you to-"

"Your granddaughter."

"…What?" Senzaemon was taken aback by his response. Did he mean Erina?

"My motivation was your granddaughter, Erina," Soma clarified, sounding as serious as he could while keeping his eye-contact with Senzaemon. "I drove all over Tootsuki to get her to acknowledge that I am a good chef. I played against Akira to impress her in how I could solve an issue no one else could. I've been acting "weird" because for who knows what reason she's the only person in this world that can cook just like my mother and it's driving me crazy to know how that's even possible. And you want to know why I didn't sleep?" he almost threatened Senzaemon with his tone, as if his answer was something Senzaemon would not want to hear. It wasn't that far from the truth. "Because whenever I tried to close my eyes, I saw her face. I couldn't stop thinking about her. And I'm not used to this feeling. I'm not blind, okay? Erina is something else, and for some reason, I can't get her out of my head. It's because of her that my heart wouldn't stop pounding against my chest."

"Oh my," Fumio spoke, looking at Soma with a slight blush on her face. Soma himself was blushing slightly, but he kept his gaze fixated on Senzaemon, waiting for his reply.

The old man seemed like he had been slapped.

The other members of the staff remained quiet, but they did exchange funny glances amongst themselves, all surprised that this kid was confessing his desires to the grandfather of the object of his affections. At least that's how they saw it.

"…Oh," Senzaemon finally reacted, his face a bit on the pale side. "I… erm… I would understand that," he tried to form a coherent sentence. "Is that the truth?"

"I'm not addicted to meth," Soma stated, before smirking and stating, "I'm addicted to your granddaughter."

Everybody froze.

They all couldn't tell just how had Soma Yukihira had meant what he had said, not even Fumio herself, but they had to respect him for the declaration regardless. He had to have a massive pair to state something like that at the grandfather of the girl in question, double given that the man was also the Director of the Academy he attended. All eyes were on said Director, who had his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed as he glared at Soma. They boy did not waver, he kept his own gaze in place, alongside that cheeky smirk. Senzaemon took a deep breath.

Then he burst into laughter.

"Oh my God," he stated between breathes, as everyone else, Soma included, looked shocked. "That I can understand! Didn't think I'd be screamed that to my face so soon in my granddaughter's life, but it is an estimate I can relate to," his laughter subsided as he continued to speak. "However, do note, I'm still a grandfather. So I will keep my eye on you. If you make her cry, I will hurt you. You better turn out to be a great boyfriend if you decide to go through with those feelings of yours."

"Hey, don't go too far ahead," Soma tried to explain himself.

"Still, I apologize again for all of this, so let's put an end to this," Senzaemon spoke as he signaled one of the staff there. The man with the sunglasses, which Fumio had earlier put on his place, stepped forwards. He took out a small labeled cup. "Just a small sample of your urine would suffice to prove you are clean. Results are ready in minutes. We'll get this resolved and you can carry on with your studies. I do owe you, however, so I will personally help you get to the bottom of this rumors. That and the fact that I won't blacklist you from seeing Erina should be an adequate apology."

"Thanks… I guess," Soma said, slightly confused. He understood the pissing part at least.

"Where are the bathrooms?" the sunglasses wearing guy asked, and Fumio was quick to point him in the right direction. Soma followed the guy towards them, thankful that none of the other members of Polar Star Dorms were present during all that. It was not an event he wanted to share with anybody. He was just happy he had not peed since before he left to the mart earlier, so he would have no problem filling that cup and then some. As they reached the bathroom, the staff member removed the lid from the cup, handing Soma the cup, and entered the bathroom with the boy. Soma looked at him questioningly, which the elder man caught on to quickly. "I'm required to make sure you do it properly," he explained his "companionship" at the moment. "Wouldn't want you to replace the test sample."

'_With what?' _Soma thought, but decided he couldn't argue who was doing his job. Soma just wanted this whole stupid thing to end. So Soma placed the cup in its place, then unzipped his fly, before noticing that the guy was staring at him. This felt awkward. "Do you want to hold it for me, too?"

The guy seemed annoyed at the question, but seemed to relent and turned around to give Soma his privacy.

-0-

The staff member left with his urine-filled cup, promising to let Senzaemon, and by extension, Soma, know the results in fifteen minutes at most as soon as he reached their office. The man walked across the sidewalk just outside Polar Star Dorm, giving a soft smile at an approaching Megumi and Yuuki as he walked by the two, who smiled back out of courtesy while having a slight confused look on their faces. He heard the light-haired girl whisper a "who's that" to the brunette, who seemed just as mixed up. He paid them no mind. Once he reached his vehicle, entering it and locking the door he used, he took out his phone when he was sure he was no longer visible to the members inside the Polar Star Dorm.

A simple swipe to unlock, and he quickly reached his previously messaged contact. Etsuya Eizan.

He texted: "He defended himself well. Senzaemon seemed convinced. I have his sample, will do as you stated."

After starting the ignition of his car, he received a reply. It read: "Good. You know what to do. Father will be informed of your assistance. Don't communicate any further with me after this point. Remember to erase these texts as soon as you read this last one."

So he did as he was told.

-0

Erina Nakiri walked towards the living room of her manor, bouncing on the heels of her own feet as if she were a little girl skipping around. She felt herself in a much brighter mood than she had felt in quite a while. Not that she had been feeling down or anything, but after her last conversation she was in quite the high spirits. Ever since she had spoken on the phone with him.

She explained it to herself as meaning that she was eager to defeat Akira. Yeah, that was probably it.

Once she reached her living room, she was surprised to see her grandfather there, sitting in the chair closest to the fireplace which he had always adored. She had presumed he would be working in his office today until much, much later; but she was okay with him being here now. It meant she could have dinner with him. But, upon closer inspection, she was that her grandfather was reading something from his phone, with a very solemn expression on his features. Was everything alright?

"Grandfather?" she asked with concern evident in her tone. Her grandfather turned towards her, with a slight jump. As if he hadn't even noticed she had approached him until she had spoken. That worried her further. "Is everything alright? Has something happened? Is Aunty alright?"

"Oh, yes, everything's alright, don't worry Erina," he reassured, in a not-too-reassuring tone. He supposed she would be suspicious, given his expression and his own tone; so hiding it from her would be next to impossible. He just couldn't believe it. The results were in, just as promised, and for everything he had said. For everything he had made Senzaemon believe, the results still came out positive.

Soma Yukihira had been using those substances, and now Senzaemon had just sent confirmation of his expulsion.

But how could he tell Erina that? He couldn't just tell her that the boy who had been "employed" by her had been using such things. That he had endangered her so, her career, her life. He had driven her to the manor! Had he been under influence then? Senzaemon felt such rage, but he couldn't just tell her. The responsible thing to do was to call everything off, the Shokugeki, the events, and just expel Soma for the junkie he turned out to be. _'He used my own love for my granddaughter as an excuse!' _he shouted to himself in his mind, everything from rage to pity mixed in there. _'And I believed he felt that way about her, that he actually loved her…'_

"Grandfather!" Erina's shout caused him to turn to her once again, after he had shifted his gaze to the fireplace. "Then what happened? You look horrible!"

"…It's just my job, my dear," he expressed truthfully. "It requires me to do things I'm not too fond of doing."

"What happened?" his granddaughter asked, her curiosity peaked.

"It's about your "employee" Soma Yukihira," he expressed, and was not surprised at the moment that her eyes widened. Senzaemon could see her thoughts shift towards Soma in her mind, as the gears in her head turned. He was no fool, he could see _that_ spark in her eyes. That lie Soma had told him with such seriousness in his eyes; the one he had believed without a shred of doubt. Erina had also believed it. And it pained him to see it.

Erina Nakiri was at a lost, her thoughts were blurred, as something that had her grandfather worried had occurred to Soma. Had something happened with the Shokugeki? Had something happened to him? That thought worried her even more.

"Is So-"

"He's…" he interrupted, but ended up stopped himself. He had fully intended to just tell her the truth, but that would mean he would have to stop the Shokugeki. To stop her growth. It was something he would not allow Soma to do. "He's withdrawing from Tootsuki," He lied.

"What?"

The sheer disbelief in her tone had spoken louder than any scream could, Senzaemon knew as much when he imagined what her reaction could be like. But he had made up his mind. If he lied, in such a way, he could still remove Soma from the Academy while making it look like he left on his own accord. Erina would not be punished by being forced to withdraw from the Shokugeki, thereby causing her to lose her seat, or having the match outright canceled which would affect not just Erina but all the others involved. He also supposed he owed the boy Soma Yukihira had once been the virtue of not exposing him to everyone. So, the story would be Soma Yukihira had left on his own accord. "I'll tell you the details as soon as they are made available to me," he lied again, then added, "but effective immediately, Soma Yukihira will leave Tootsuki tonight. I'll make sure you receive a suitable replacement and everyone's is-"

"Wait, no!" she shouted, her first clenched in a way that her fingertips became red. "He can't, I mean, he wouldn't. Why? Did something happen to his family, or something? Otherwise, he wouldn't just leave! I should know, I mean," she was just blurting out everything that came to her head, at a complete loss on what was happening right now. He had resigned? Right in the middle of her Shokugeki? "He helped me set up the meeting I have tomorrow. He defeated Akira yesterday… for me! He wouldn't!"

"My dear, these things happen," Senzaemon tried to calm her down, sitting up and placing his hand on her shoulder as he spoke, "Tootsuki is the most prestigious cooking Academy in the world, you know this. Not everyone is cut out for it."

"But he is!" she shouted, before realizing what she was saying. She thought about it briefly, her eyes narrowing as she repeated her words in her mind. And, in the bottom of her heart, she knew the truth. "He is," she repeated, as if to clarify that statement to herself. "He is qualified to be here. He should be here."

"Sweetie, this is his decision, you should respect-"

"He should respect my future!" she barked back, clearly enraged beyond belief. "If he thinks he can just leave without telling me why, he's wrong. We're in this together, this is our match, and I'm not losing an Assistant Manager without him handing out his unemployment notice, in advanced!"

As Erina stormed off the living room, Senzaemon just signed as he had known this would have been difficult. Erina was convinced something was off, and he couldn't blame her, because she was right. So he texted Soma, letting him know of what he had just told Erina, and if he preferred that version of the events.

-0-

Soma threw his phone onto his bed, which had the undesired effect of bouncing off the mattress and crashing itself onto the floor. Soma paid it no mind and simply sat on the bed himself, staring at the ceiling as he struggled to form a coherent thought. His mind was utterly blank. He couldn't think of anything at the moment. All that kept circling inside his head was the notice that his expulsion was final, and that he was going to be "escorted" out of Tootsuki that very night. He had merely hours to pack, merely hours to still be considered an alumni of Tootsuki.

He had tried keeping his eyes closed to see if it helped him digest the situation, but then his phone started to ring. He lifted himself with the enthusiasm of an inmate scheduled for execution, and took a glance at its direction all the way onto the floor. It was the last person he wanted to talk to.

Called ID: Erina Nakiri

Ring.

He motioned with his hand towards it, but stopped himself. _'What… am I exactly planning on telling her?' _he pondered, recalling the text he received from Senzaemon regarding the "excuse" they were using to mask his expulsion. That he was willingly resigning, for some reason.

Ring.

'_Just what reason can I even give?' _he asked himself within his thoughts, _'I've made my intentions to be the best here so clearly obvious that I can't just claim I changed my mind.'_

Ring.

'_It's not even true! They're kicking me out for something I didn't do. They even made that test come out as positive; that damn guy with the sunglasses, was it him?' _he kept thinking, _'or was it someone in the lab, or the office, or… I don't even…'_

Ring.

'_I'm so sorry Erina,' _he decided, _'I just can't face you right now.'_

Then it stopped ringing.

Soma bent down and picked up the phone regardless, because it had never been his intention of leaving it in the floor. With a registered missed call by Erina Nakiri in full display, Soma felt himself sinking. How could he bounce back from this? What would he do? He couldn't even muster the courage to call his dad. Could he fight in his behalf? Would Soma want that? After all, everyone here was so clearly convinced Soma was _enhancing_ his abilities, so was there any point in fighting further? Only Fumio seemed convinced that Soma was innocent, as even Isshiki had seemingly turned his back towards his underclassman. Soma rested his head back onto his pillow, clenching his fist at this feeling of helplessness that he couldn't even begin to describe, let alone fight.

His phone beeped. Voice message.

It was her.

Soma read the alert, which informed him he had one message received from his ex-employer. If he wanted to hear it, he could press 1 on the touchscreen's dial pad. So he did.

"…I am severely disappointed in you," she began, her voice sounding stern and professional, not that he expected any less from her. He did feel the sting of those words, the complete opposite of what he had vowed to get out of those lips of hers. "We had an agreement, and after many times I tried fruitlessly to kick you out of both Tootsuki and of my team, you remained. You struggled, fought, and in time, earned your right to call yourself amongst the elite of Tootsuki," her recording admitted, which caused his eyes to widen. He had never heard her address him in such a way. "I actually came to believe you had my best interests in mind."

"I did," he said to the recording.

"But that's not the point here, I suppose," her tone shifted as she spoke, sounding more emotional. "I didn't believe it when grandfather told me you just decided to leave. You never called me to tell me, nor did you ever text me. So I called you, and you didn't even bother to pick up."

"What should I even say to you?" he asked her voice, feeling even worse. "It's all a lie Erina, I would never do this."

"I reckon you must have your reasons," she continued, making a noise in the speaker of her phone that sounded as if she was taking a deep breath. "If there's something wrong, if there's any way I can help, tell me."

His eyes widened even more, as he clenched his phone tighter. Had he heard her right?

"We're… friends after all, I guess…" she finished, sounding unsure of her own words. And with that spoken the recording ended, and the voice over asked Soma if he wanted to delete or save the message.

Soma choose the latter.

-0-

Those few hours flew by, and before Soma even realized it, his escort was there at Polar Star Dorm ready to take him out of Tootsuki. The guy they had sent, while dressed similarly to the other three that had accompanied Senzaemon earlier, wasn't one of them. At least, Soma didn't think he was. The man gave Fumio a greeting, and then just stood by the door, arms folded, awaiting for Soma to get ready, say his goodbyes and accompany him. It was procedure for him, since he had done this kind of job many times before. Whenever someone in Tootsuki got kicked out, it was his department that was in charge of escorting the ex-alumni out. It wasn't a fun job, not to him at least, although he had a hunch a few of his coworkers enjoyed seeing the teenagers tormented by their failures. He couldn't understand why. Sure, teens were a rowdy bunch, and most often than not they could be annoying as hell, but they were young. They were supposed to be rowdy, to be messy. It's all part of growing up, of hitting yourself enough until you carved out the adult hidden underneath. So, he would just remain quiet, help the student when needed, and try to make the experience as unpainful as possible. But, for all his years of service, he had never seen what he saw at Polar Star Dorm.

"You're leaving!" the unison scream from the other alumni staying in Polar Star Dorm was loud enough to wake the dead, so much so that Soma's escort was startled by it, despite his failed attempt at seeming stoic. It seemed just now were the other students informed of Soma Yukihira's imminent departure, and given the reaction, they really cared about him.

"Um… yeah," Soma rubbed the back of his head in response, mentally screaming at himself to keep cool and make it seem like it was a decision he took naturally and that it was not in any way a big deal. Pretend this wasn't tearing him apart. "My dad needs me back at Yukihira's, for reasons…" he told the lie he had decided to use from now on, which he admitted hadn't been that well thought out as he had hoped. "So, I can't stay here."

"How did this come to be?" Daigo practically shouted, "Since when did you decide this?"

"A few hours ago, it's pretty last minute for me as well," Soma admitted, the only bit of truth he was allowed to say.

"But you're not coming back?" Yuuki asked, her eyes looking as if they were on the verge of tears.

"She's right," Marui added, saying, "You were never kicked out, so can't you talk to Senzaemon and arrange it so once you get everything settled back home, you're allowed to return?"

"Hey, yeah, you could do that!" Shoji said as he smiled and nodded.

"And we'll vouch for you, heck, most of the first years probably would," Ryoko added, raising her index finger as if illustrating a point. "Even with all the controversy with your little acceptance speech earlier this year, you've won yourself quite a fanbase. I find it hard to believe Senzaemon wouldn't consider giving the Runner-Up of the Autumn Elections a leave-of-absence to resolve a personal issue."

"That's right!" Yuuki punctuated.

And as they all stared at Soma with wide smiles, having "solved" his issue and feeling secured that Soma was not leaving for long, Soma himself felt himself sweating bullets. It seemed his little lie was really not at all thought out. "Um… you all make a good point, but you see… I… erm… I…"

"Enough everyone," Fumio interrupted Soma's pitiful attempts at explaining himself, adding, "Soma has his reasons, and you all know Tootsuki. Soma has no guarantee that he'll be able to solve everything quickly, so he couldn't possibly say he'll be back within an acceptable timeframe," as Fumio spoke, everyone's smiles slowly faded, as realization began hitting them. Soma was really leaving? "Furthermore, he won't be here to the Stagiaire, so there's no way to justify his absence. Soma is aware of all this, so please respect his decision."

"Oh, right, um, you'll be alright, won't you Soma?" Yuuki asked, to which Soma offered a smile and a nod.

"I can't believe it," Shoji muttered, while Daigo nodded in response. One by one, the residents of Tootsuki came up to Soma, giving him their blessing and telling him how much they'll miss him. How big of a hole his departure would leave in Polar Star Dorms. Soma, during the goodbyes and the farewells, fought back his tears and smiled as best he could. He wavered, every now and then, because who wouldn't. He hugged Shoji, as the latter told him that he was the craziest son of a bitch he had ever met (in the best way possible, of course), fist bumped with Daigo who told him to keep himself cooking the way he always did, he hugged Yuuki, who practically jumped on top of him and he had to grab onto her as if he was carrying a little kid. She cried onto his collar, muttering how he had better keep contact. He assured her he would. Ryoko gave him a hug as well, a softer one, simply wishing him the best. He held onto her tightly, because her words sounded so very understanding. Marui shook his hand, but then pulled him into a hug as he fought himself to stop crying. It made it harder for Soma not to do the same. His biggest surprise came from Shun, who hugged him the tightest of them all. As Soma patted his friend's back, Shun told him: "If you need anything, we are here for you. Remember, you're family."

After he hugged them all, he saw her. Megumi. She was standing there, and slowly approached the redhead. It was here he froze, and he shifted his gaze. He knew she would be able to see through him. And he had seen it in her eyes, he had seen her searching, searching for a reason behind his words. He knew that if he talked to her any longer, she would get the truth out of him, and he couldn't allow that. But, he couldn't go without saying goodbye to her. Not to her.

"Soma…" she began, her eyes still searching for the answers.

"Don't give me that look Tadokoro," Soma reassured her. "This isn't the end of the world, I'm still going to be cooking, and I'm still me."

She hugged him. Not with the strength Shun had used, or the clinginess Yuuki had demonstrated, or like anyone else. It wasn't a friend hugging another. It was like if he was being hugged by a sister he never knew he had. So, he hugged her back, and buried his face into the base of her neck. "Soma, please," she quietly begged him, in a low tone that only the proximity between allowed him to hear her. "Tell me, this wasn't your choice was it? There's something more here, right?"

"Tadokoro, I-"

"You saved me that time," she interrupted, her tone still lowered. "I was petrified, destroyed. I felt like a failure, and you saved me. Please, trust me. Soma, if this really isn't what you're saying it is, trust in me. Tell me it's not, and I'll find a way to fix it. Please," her tears began to fall as she spoke, clenching onto the boy that had seen what no one else had seen in her before. Not even she had believed that much in herself as he had. "Let me save you now…"

He was crying. Softly, into her shirt. He didn't say anything, he couldn't. But it's not that he didn't answer.

Because he nodded.

She felt him nod, and it was all she needed.

As he let her go, wiping his face, with everyone looking at him worryingly, he gave them all a smile, and with that said: "Give it your all guys, I know I'm looking at the future seated members here. Give them hell."

With that spoken, Soma, Fumio and the escort walked out of Polar Star Dorms, with Soma's luggage on hand. The residents of Polar Star were going to follow them outside to continue their goodbyes, but the collectively stopped for a moment when they all saw that Megumi was not following them outside. Instead, she was looking in the general direction Soma had left from, before she turned to face the group.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Ryoko asked her, as she approached the younger girl to hug her and offer to walk outside with her, but she was surprised when Megumi shook her head.

"No, he's being kicked out," she spoke, and that made everyone freeze.

"Wait, what?" Yuuki blurted out, while she quickly covered her mouth when Shun motioned at her to keep her voice down.

"If Soma's lying to us, he must have a reason," Shun told her, before turning to Megumi. "Did he tell you something?"

"Not with words," she admitted, before adding, "I met his father, he wouldn't want Soma to leave Tootsuki. And Soma didn't lose any Shokugeki or fail any class, so something's up, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

And as the former dorm mates of Soma Yukihira began to brainstorm, the redhead boy entered the limo that was meant to remove him from Tootsuki. His luggage was stored in the trunk, save for the carry-on backpack he had with him on the back seat. Fumio stood at the still opened door, unsure of what to say. "…You know I don't believe any of it," she told the boy who had become a part of her family. "I know you better than that."

"I know you do," he admitted, before smiling at her. "Thank you so much for sticking up for me, I wouldn't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there."

"Take care of yourself Soma," she expressed, then added, "would you like me to call your father for you?"

"Oh, no, I'll call him," he answered, and she nodded as she accepted his response. Then he added: "Oh, where is Isshiki? D-Did he, I mean, was he informed about what happened?"

"I couldn't get in contact with him," Fumio regretfully admitted, "it seems he's still at the meeting with the Elite Ten. I'll tell him when he arrives," she told him, and Soma nodded. She felt his doubt, his fear, and she added: "he would never do anything but stand up for you. I'm positive he stood up for you, if he was even consulted at all."

"I know," Soma responded, being sure that she was right. Isshiki would not have doubted Soma, much less assisted in his expulsion. Friends did not do that.

With a heartfelt goodbye, the limo began to move, and with it the dreams of the youth who came from the small family establishment. Soma saw his friends, waving and screaming at him from a far, and he smiled. He may have failed, or rather, he may have been cheated of his future at Tootsuki, but he would always cherish those memories. How he fought alongside everyone for a brighter career.

'_I'll call dad once I'm home, since I probably have to enroll myself back at my old school now, huh? Mayumi's going to be shocked, that's for sure,' _he spoke in his head, flashing back to how his life was before he had even heard of Tootsuki. His old man had said that he wanted to close Yukihira's for two or three years, understandably given that his dad was currently in the States, but now that Soma was going to be back, he could reopen it. It may not have been much, but he had learned a lot in Tootsuki, and he was planning on implementing all of it to make Yukihira's even better than ever. To have sales that would totally overshadow anything his father had managed to do. He lost Tootsuki, but he still had Yukihira's.

"_I was referring to your previous work experience, that little special-of-the-day restaurant type that you're so proud off, it's beneath Tootsuki's standard."_

He remembered her words, when the two were arguing in her office after that disastrous night of the first round of the Shokugeki. Erina had been as cold as ever, and while they were eventually able to see eye-to-eye, she had still proved to be the hardest person for Soma to interact with. She could be extremely mean when she meant to.

"_We had an agreement, and after many times I tried fruitlessly to kick you out of both Tootsuki and of my team, you remained. You struggled, fought, and in time, earned your right to call yourself amongst the elite of Tootsuki."_

Then he remembered her words saved on his messages, and how much they had changed. She accepted him, she admitted it. He was so close to get her to admit it about his cooking, he was sure if she tastes anything from him she'd like it. His fists clenched. _'This is so unfair!' _he screamed in his head. _'Am I supposed to just accept the fact that I won't ever get that chance? That I'm never going to be able to get her to admit it; that I won't taste her food again? She still thinks I just abandoned everything, I… I can't accept this…'_

So he took out his phone, and called her. It rang, and rang, and rang. No answer. His eyes narrowed. Was she busy? She had told him that he could tell her if something was wrong. Or was she mad? She was unpredictable like that. He sighed, as he knew this meant he was probably going to have to call her after he was long gone from Tootsuki. Meaning he wasn't going to see her face again. They were from two very different worlds after all.

'_Damn it,' _he cursed in his head, in an attempt not to bother his "escort", given that the man had been pleasant enough. _'I want to see her, I actually want to see her. This sucks so hard… I-'_

Then he saw it. The road they were on. He knew it.

'_It's the one I drove with her from the restaurant to her manor…' _he realized.

And he knew they were close. Granted, he didn't have his bike handy, since they told him he couldn't drive it within Tootsuki after he had tested positive, so it would be shipped to his home in a few days. But, if he knew Tootsuki as much as he hoped he did, he was close enough. For a moment, he reconsidered, but shook his head. They had taken too much from him, they were not taking Erina.

His escort heard a weird noise, which surprised him since Soma Yukihira had been awfully quiet for the majority of the drive, for which he had been extremely thankful for. But, when he looked at the rearview mirror, he was surprised when he saw nothing. And by that, it meant he saw no Soma on the backseat.

"The hell!" he screamed as he slammed the brakes of the limousine, causing a loud screech to echo through the thankfully empty streets. He looked again, this time by turning his entire body towards the back seats. And it was confirmed, Soma was gone. The noise he had heard had been the wind slamming the door shut after Soma had leaped from the limousine like a hostage escaping a villain. The man was at a loss for words. He quickly exited his vehicle, and even if the darkness of the night, the light posts allowed him to see the back of the retreating young man running in the opposite direction they had been driving to. "Hey, Soma Yukihira!" he screamed at him. "Get back here, you cannot do this!"

"What are you going to do?" he could hear being yelled back at him. "Expel me?"

The man frowned and got back into the limousine, prepared to chase after the redhead who was escaping from him, while grabbing his phone to notify Senzaemon about this "situation". As he did, he couldn't help but chuckle a little. After all, Soma Yukihira had a point.

And as Soma ran, he came to a conclusion he could accept. If he was going to be kicked out, fine. If he was going to be scolded for running away like this, fine. If he was meant to just return home and accept defeat, fine. But he was going to see her, he was going to explain everything to her. He owed her that much. And no one was going to stop him. And, as he was sure his "escort" had already alerted everyone about his escape; especially given just how close in proximity to Nakiri Manor they were, he was sure Senzaemon would connect the dots and figure out where he was going. He didn't care. Erina deserved more than just a phone call after all, and he had to speak to her.

Even if he had to break into Nakiri Manor to do so.

* * *

%


	12. Sayonara

**Rating:** T+

**Pairing:** Soma/Erina

**Genre:** _Slow_ Romance (with updates _at least_ once a month)

**Notes:**

Once again, a big "thank you" to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed or simply read and enjoyed the last chapter of _Nouvelle_; especially to those of you that take the time to provide me with that much appreciated feedback be it by reviews, personal messages (PMs) or through the _Nouvelle_-centered posts I do on the Shokugeki no Soma reddit page.

Also, I apologize for the delay. Work got a bit, shall we say, intense these last couple of weeks so my free time was spent trying to recuperate my energy instead of being able to sit down and write/edit this little project of mine. Sometimes I wish I was half as good as Erina at running a restaurant…

Last update before the Polls on my Profile Page close! Top three (3) side-pairings on said poll will have noticeable roles in future chapters of _Nouvelle_.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

* * *

When he managed to arrive at the Nakiri Manor, he was still going over the options that he had to confront the situation at hand. Getting here had been the easy part; confronting her, well, that would take some planning. One thing he had learned thanks to his continued involvement with the Tootsuki heiress was that she could be utterly unpredictable when it came to her, well, everything. And, despite the long walk towards here allowing him the free time to build up a nerve to directly confront her, he found himself at an utter loss on how to proceed. What was he supposed to say?

He shook his head and walked on through, avoiding the nearby guards that were patrolling the area. He had never been to fond of them and their over-the-top measures of "handling" things. But, tellingly, security had been tripled because once he set foot onto the main road towards the entrance gate, a grand total of eight security staff members came rushing directly at him, shouting things like "there he is", "restrain him", and "get Yukihira before Miss Nakiri notices".

They probably said a few more things, but it was rather hard to hear them after they tackled him into the ground like a college football team trying to impress the cheerleaders.

He had never seen the Nakiri household security staff be so efficient, as in just a matter of seconds they had restrained his arms and legs, which is impressive considering it was dark outside and he was wearing all black. Then again, they did forget to restrain him fully.

"We got him," the guard closest to him stated, in between heavy pants for air. They didn't do this too often it would seem. "Notify the Director that w-"

The head-butt the guard received directed towards his nose caused him to stumble back and land on his rear end, his statement cut short thanks to his now bloody nose. The others, taken a bit back by the sudden ferocity, noticed a little too late that that guard had been the one holding their "captive's" right arm in place. Something the guard holding his left noticed when he was smashed in the face with a fully clenched fist. By the time the guards realized the no longer had a grip on him, they no longer had a captive at all, and five of the eight guards present where sent falling back onto the pavement in a rather, effective, manner.

"Soma Yukihira, stop this immediately," one of the still standing guards commanded. "Do you want to go to prison?"

"I'm not fucking Yukihira!"

All the guards stopped.

Granted, it was dark, but they did feel a sting of stupidity within themselves as they noticed that they had confused the resident troublemaker Soma Yukihira for none other than Alice Nakiri's guard dog Ryou Kurokiba.

They immediately cursed their inadequacy.

"Kurokiba, we do apologize for the rough treatment," the guard with the bloody nose apologized, as insincerely as a guy that was just head-butted would be expected to. "We confused you for someone else and there are orders in place for his detainment."

"Yukihira it seems," Ryou clarified, more to himself than to anyone really. "The hell did Yukihira do to warrant this type of response. And I thought Alice overreacted when she got pissed."

"I'm sorry, but we can't disclose any information," another guard responded, before adding, "Similarly, the gates are closed until further notice, so if you desire to enter you'll need to wait until this is resolved. You are free to use the security cabin as a waiting lobby if you wish… we have magazines."

Ryou didn't really know how to respond to that. He just brushed himself off, still glaring at the guards as he did not appreciate being shoved down with eight guys piled on top of him, but he decided against further arguing. If Soma had done something wrong, the least Ryou could do was not further escalate the situation. "I'll pass," he answered. "I'll just go mess around elsewhere. Hopefully when I get back this mess will have been dealt with. Oh-" he stated as he started to turn away to leave. "-tackle me again, and you'll get more stuff broken."

The guard whose nose had just stopped bleeding glared at Ryou, though avoided responding a thing. The boy was bad news as is, but if word got out that he was antagonizing the man that followed Alice Nakiri everywhere, they would have his head. Ryou Kurokiba was scary; Alice Nakiri was terrifying.

Ryou didn't bother to wait for any responses, he just kept walking back the way he came from, away from the mad house and all their "security" measures. Away from whatever it was Soma had done.

Then he saw Soma.

Just jogging like if it were Sunday morning towards Nakiri Manor, a determined expression on his face, not too far off from where Ryou was walking. At this Ryou just screamed at himself inside his own head. _'Just keep walking, this does not concern you, whatever he did, I'm certain they won't murder him,' _he told himself. '_Do not get involved Ryou Kurokiba.'_

He got involved.

"The hell have you done?" Ryou's voice would have startled Soma, had it not been for the fact that before speaking Ryou had grabbed his backpack and jerked it towards him. That had startled him.

"Kurokiba? Oh, hey!" cheerful as always, it would seem. Ryou had a hard time believing this guy had done something to warrant _that _type of response. "Funny bumping into you here. I'm close to Nakiri Manor, right?"

"Extremely," Ryou responded, in a rather deadpan tone, before adding, "Although I feel obligated to inform you that there seems to be an entire SWAT team there ready to pounce at you the moment the lay their eyes on you."

"They got the SWAT involved?"

"Figure of speech," Ryou clarified, seems it looked like Soma honestly believed they had called the SWAT in. "The security there is tight, tighter than usual, and they're looking for you."

"Huh, that's what I get for jumping out a moving vehicle I suppose," Soma pondered this for a moment, as Ryou felt himself dumbfounded by what he was witnessing. Jumping out of a moving vehicle, increased security, Nakiri Manor sealed off… What had happened in the last few hours?

"Talk. Now," Ryou practically growled as he grabbed Soma by the collar and lifted him up, glaring at the redhead. Soma, in response, just gave him a puzzled look, raising an eyebrow as the taller boy messed up his shirt. "If you did anything that could affect Milady Alice, I will smash your face into the pavement."

"Go for it," Soma spoke with a more serious tone, his eyes narrowed. "Maybe if you smash me hard enough, they won't recognize my face."

"Yukihira…"

"Kurokiba," Soma imitated his ex-classmates tone of irritation mixed with anger. "If you really believed I had done something wrong, you wouldn't have warned me about the security up ahead."

Ryou just muttered something unintelligible under his breathe, and released his grip on Soma's collar. The redhead proceeded to fix his shirt up, before addressing Ryou again. "Thank you, now then," he stated, turning his gaze towards Nakiri Manor. "I'm getting kicked out on false charges of drug usage, and while my current escapades have more or less solidified my status as "officially kicked-out" of Tootsuki, I couldn't just leave without addressing Erina one last time. And it would seem, they don't want me to."

It took a few second for Ryou to burst out into laughter, while Soma looked on half-bemused. "Damn it Yukihira, you really like to get involved in some weird shit, don't you?"

"Hey, it wasn't my idea, someone really wants me out of here," Soma defended himself, still grinning. "They even tempered with my piss to give out a false-positive and everything."

"And the old fart believed it?"

"Something about not risking his granddaughter's future," Soma answered.

"Probably didn't tell her that. Erina can also get pretty serious if the situation calls for it," Ryou admitted. Despite him having far more experience dealing with Alice than with Erina, he knew that the latter was not to be underestimated. They were cut from the same cloth after all.

"Tell me about it," Soma knew her too well, and he had figured that the old man had probably skipped out on a lot of details regarding his "voluntary departure" from Tootsuki to Erina, just telling her he was leaving and making it seem like he had just abandoned everything they had worked so hard for. "So, given my current situation," Soma began, turning back to face Ryou. "You wouldn't happen to know of a way I could get into Nakiri Manor, undetected I mean?"

"You kidding me?" Ryou sounded offended. "This shitty place is my playground, follow me, I'll have you inside in minutes."

"Lead the way."

-0-

After having done most of his duties for the day, which he admitted took him longer than planned since it was already dark out and he had just arrived back to his home, Akira Hayama wanted nothing more than to take a quick shower, feed himself a quick-to-make meal and sleep. He had not gotten much rest recently and it was starting to show. And he couldn't let that affect his Shokugeki with the princess. However, when Akira opened the door to the main living room of the quarters he was sharing with Jun, he heard voices.

One was Jun.

One was someone he just knew by passing. A certain Etsuya Eizan.

"-been hired and are undergoing management training as we speak, that which my sister is overseeing to make sure the new guys follow-oh, hey, speak of the devil. Been meaning to talk to you Akira," Etsuya interrupted whatever he was telling Jun to greet the recently arrived Akira, the latter who merely narrowed his eyes in response between turning to face Jun.

"Evening Jun," he greeted her. "Everything all right here?"

"Evening Akira," she was quick to flash him a smile. "And, yes, quite so. Etsuya here has just been telling me of the business endeavors his family have been undertaken recently. Some very interesting stuff. But he's not really here for me."

"Oh, I would say that," Etsuya stated, leaning back onto the coach he was currently sitting on. "It's always a pleasure to speak to one of the few kind teachers here in Tootsuki."

"You're just saying that."

"On contraire, I mean it," he clarified, his tone taking a much softer sound than Akira had ever heard him use. Was he being honest or was this all another one of his tricks? Granted, Akira never had any personal clashes with the Ninth Seat per say, so he had no reason to suspect foul play from him. "However, it is true that my primary objective tonight is to speak to Akira here."

"About what, if I may inquire?"

"Inquire you may," Etsuya responded, before adding, "Just business as usual, nothing to out of the ordinary. And while I know you like to keep yourself busy, as you should, you should get used to unannounced meetings like this. After all, the future Tenth Seat of Tootsuki will be a much sought-out individual."

"He's actually right," Jun spoke between a squeal. "Once you get a seated position, you won't have time to rest. I can't believe you're almost there."

"…Aren't you celebrating a bit prematurely?" Akira asked, wondering what the point of this was. What business could he possibly have with Etsuya? "And that includes you."

"That humility of yours will get you places Akira," Etsuya stated, as Akira looked on. Jun seemed happy at least, so whatever it was Etsuya wanted couldn't be bad. "But you and I both know you're the future Tenth Seat. You're victory over Erina was overwhelming, by a landslide even, and I've worked alongside her for a while now. She's not going to recover from this."

"I think you're selling her a bit short," Akira stated. While he wanted nothing more than to win, he'd be a fool if he considered Erina down for the count so soon into this.

"Oh, am I?" Etsuya asked, giving Akira a knowing smirk. "Pride is a sin for a reason, and that girl has that a-plenty. Feel free to believe in yourself more."

"I will win," Akira corrected, staring down at the seated Etsuya. "Nonetheless, I won't make plans until I do. It's poor sportsmanship."

"Are you a betting man, Akira?"

"…Pardon?"

"Are you… a betting man?" Etsuya repeated, giving each of the words more emphasis. "Because I am, always have been. Inherited that trait from my father. And you see, I have an eye for things, so I don't lose bets that easily," as he spoke, Etsuya shifted a document he had on the coffee table in front of him towards Akira. As he did, Jun could be seen bouncing in place, happy for some reason Akira had yet to know. "And as these documents read, I'm betting on you."

Akira narrowed his eyes and walked forwards, taking the documents and giving them a quick glance. His eyes widened once their meaning was made clear. "This is…"

"Exactly," Etsuya confirmed.

"You know what this means Akira?" Jun asked her ward as the latter read the documents, excitement evident in her tone. "If Tootsuki sponsors the Eizan's family globalization event in the coming weeks, one of the main branches which will open and host the event will be ours! Our seminar will be used on the event, do you know how much exposure we'll get. Akira, do you know how many doors that could open up for you?"

"I see…" Akira read, and what Jun was saying was true. If Tootsuki sponsored the event, and Jun's seminar was utilized in the event, that exposure alone would qualify her for any study grant she would ever need. And if Akira himself directed the event, he could probably even get a prestigious position anywhere without having to even graduate Tootsuki. He probably wouldn't accept, but the benefits form this alone would be resounding. However, there was just one little detail in these documents that made the whole "to-good-to-be-true" scenario actually seem untrue. "This… hasn't been approved yet."

"I haven't submitted it yet," Etsuya explained, shrugging his shoulders as he did. "The votes are currently on a tie. I need the Tenth Seat's signature."

"Erina's?"

"That's not who I'm betting on," as Etsuya clarified, Akira understood. This was the deal he wanted to make. Get the seated position, approve Etsuya Eizan's sponsorship request, and get a spot on the event for himself and Jun. He had it all planned out. "And like I said," Etsuya added. "I don't lose bets that easily."

-0-

"Right this way," Ryou pointed out as he and Soma made their way through the far-back side of the Nakiri Manor, speaking in hush voices as to not alert any wandering ears. Soma was quick to notice that Ryou was pointing towards a nearby bush enthralled and entangled to the fence surrounding the manor. Sensing his confusing, Ryou explained: "Milady often wandered off the Nakiri grounds when we were younger, and as her aide, I'd follow. We discovered a little breach in the fence here and left the bushes there so as to cover it. Since we often played in this are she told the gardeners not to trim the bush to much since it was "hers", and they had little choice but to abide to what Milady wanted, even if it made no sense to them. This was our way in and out of the manor back in the day. We should still fit, I think."

"Well," Soma declared. "One way to find out."

As both Soma and Ryou traversed through the bush and, by extension, the hole in the fence it covered up, they noticed that they could fit through, barely. Soma, given his shorter size, seemed to have an easier time fitting through, while Ryou had to push himself to enter the Nakiri grounds. Once inside, both men brushed themselves off and made their way quickly through the grounds. Soma hadn't really paid much attention to the fact of just how big the Nakiri Manor really was, as it took up so much space that just running from the fence to the building was taking minutes.

"Not much security over here, huh?" Soma noted.

"I think they don't expect you to be this crafty," Ryou answered, to which Soma just gave a soft chuckle.

"I'm not, I was just going to go through the front door," Soma admitted, which Ryou just nodded to. There was a reason Ryou had stopped him earlier.

"This way," Ryou told Soma, and the two changed their direction as they quickened their pace, reaching one of the windows of the main building. As both Soma and Ryou placed themselves near the wall, Ryou took a glance into the window, before nodding. "Alright, no one here, we should be in the clear."

"Whose room is this?" Soma spoke up as he noticed Ryou just nonchalantly opening the window, which was unlocked for some reason, and starting to go inside.

"Mine," was Ryou's equally nonchalant response. "Now hurry and come inside."

After both boys had made their way into Ryou's room, which Soma noted to be far more organized and clean than he would have given Ryou credit for; Ryou took out his phone and speed dialed. After almost a minute of silence as Ryou awaited a response, the black-haired boy cursed inwardly and threw his phone onto his bed.

"Problems?" Soma asked, half wondering what he was supposed to do now.

"She still doesn't want to talk to me, can you believe her?" as Ryou complained, it took Soma a brief moment to realize he was referring to Alice.

"You two got into a fight?" Soma asked, not really sure if the two of them were in a relationship or not. He never really looked into those details before, but given his own issues with the other Nakiri lady, he wasn't so sure about himself anymore. Might as well ask someone with experience on the issue.

"Not us, she," Ryou corrected, glaring at his phone as it rested on the bed as if it were Alice herself. "She just got all mad and stuff without me even doing anything. And now she doesn't want to answer me, like at all. I have no idea what she's even mad about!"

"Huh," Soma just smiled at that thought. "Sounds like a Nakiri alright."

"I know, these girls…" Ryou muttered as he brushed his hair off his face, since crawling through a hole on a fence and the running like mad men did leave him looking more wild than usual. "But, ignoring that, let's help you out. Stay here while I go and find Erina. You just want to talk to her, right?"

"More or less," Soma stated, taking a seat on Ryou's bed. "Since I'm getting kicked out for being a junkie, I want to at least settle the score between us two."

"Right, whatever that means," Ryou just walked out of his room, leaving the redhead inside as he pondered if he really had thought this through. Ryou just made his way through the halls which he knew by heart, ignoring the occasional servant he passed by as he knew it was not him they had been alerted to. Still, it shocked him for them to be this uptight with Soma. Even if they had every right to believe that Soma was using anything illegal, it wasn't as if he was actively hurting someone. And Ryou knew for a fact that some students here did smuggle in stuff and used it on a regular basis, and yet most teacher's turned a blind eye as long as the grades were up to standard. Why the sudden manhunt for Soma?

As he turned the corner he felt someone smack onto his chest, which caused him to halt his movements as he immediately recognized the perfume. Alice.

"My God, did I just literally run into you?" her tone was still dry, even if she was attempting to say something with a tone of humor on it.

"More like walked into me," Ryou answered, looking down onto his lady. Sure she was shorter, but damn was she feisty. He had to remind himself that he could solve his issues with her later, right now he needed the other Nakiri. If someone were to find Soma in his room he'd probably get kicked out as well. "Milady, give me just one brief moment while I try to find-"

"Oh, so now you're avoiding me," she spoke up as she placed her hands on her hips, as if challenging him to just walk away. His eyes widened at this, as he pondered just who had it worst between Soma and himself. The eight guys outside Ryou could take on, this girl on the other hand…

"Don't go putting words into my mouth, all I was trying to say was that I need to find Erina," Ryou explained, as Alice cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Erina? Wait," she narrowed her eyes as realization hit her. "You've been getting pretty chummy with my cousin as of late, haven't you. You called her earlier and now you're looking for her. Something I should know?"

"I just need to take her to my room," and as soon as he said it and he saw her eyes widened incredibly, he understood how she had understood him. "…Let me rephrase."

"Go ahead."

"Yukihira is waiting in my room for her because he just got kicked out of Tootsuki," he rephrased.

"Oh, well why didn't you ju-kicked out!" Alice practically shouted which Ryou was sure echoed throughout the entire mansion. "Why was So-?"

Before Alice could alert more people Ryou was quick to cover her lips with his hand and pressed her against the wall, getting close enough to her face so that he could whisper something only she would hear. "He's in trouble, don't alert anyone," he whispered softly into her ear, causing her to shiver slightly as she felt his hot breathe against her neck. This was totally not the scenario she had been expecting. "Something's up, and he needs to talk to her. So do not scream."

"Oh Dios mío!"

Both Ryou and Alice (still with her mouth covered) turned towards one of her young maids who had just exclaimed at the sight of the two just pressed against the wall so intimately. Ryou blushed as he pushed himself off of Alice and motioned to the girl. "Oh, no. No eso, no eso," he attempted Spanish.

"Disculpen, sólo estaba barriendo," the young maid explained, as she motioned to her broom. As Ryou attempted to try and decipher what she was saying, Alice, sly grin and all, just replied to her.

"No te preocupes Linda," she stated as she pointed to Ryou. "Me estaba solamente diciendo que you soy de él y de más nadie, tú sabes como son los hombres."

Linda nodded and gave Alice a wide smile, before she resorted to carrying on her duties as if she had not seen a thing. "Just what did you tell her exactly?" Ryou asked.

"That it was a misunderstanding and that we were just discussing something school-related."

"…Somehow I feel that's not what you said."

"Then why ask?"

-0-

"Would you at least tell me what it is you two even want?" Erina exclaimed while Alice pushed her across the hallway from behind, with Ryou following closely behind. Erina had been severely busy preparing everything she needed for the upcoming second match of the Shokugeki especially now that she had apparently lost an Assistant Manager. She even had Hisako and Julio running around like chickens with their heads cut off in order to bring everything up to speed. "It's a very bad day for me to become involved in your shenanigans."

"Oh, it's not my shenanigans you're involved in Erina," Alice countered, giving her cousin a bright smile as they all reached Ryou's room. Alice, after signaling Ryou to open the door, simply told Erina: "This one's all on you."

"What's that supposed to m-?" before she could even finish her question Alice shoved Erina inside Ryou's room and the due proceeded to close the door afterwards, effectively locking Erina inside.

Before she screamed and banged at the door for it, Erina found herself staring at the boy that had just hours prior turned her day completely upside down. There he was, Soma Yukihira, siting cross-legged on Ryou's bed looking just as confused as she was.

"Erina," he stated.

"…Soma?" she replied in a questioning tone.

"Fancy meeting you here, huh?" he gave her a dopey grin as he joked around, which caused her to immediately glare at him in response.

"Be serious for once!" she raised her tone, annoyed. She had expected him to have been long gone by now, not right under her nose. "Just why are you even here? I thought you had left Tootsuki."

"About that," he started, but found himself unable to even form a coherent thought. Why did he come here? Here she was, looking at him expectantly and confused, as she has every right to, and he can't even muster a coherent sentence. "I… I honestly don't even know why I'm here. Truth be told this was rather sudden for me. I wasn't really counting on this, like, at all."

"You're not making any sense," Erina stated, sounding far more collected than he would have thought she'd be. Far more collected than he was anyway. Granted, she didn't have an entire team of guards looking for her. "Grandfather said you were leaving Tootsuki."

"Yeah," he stated, since it was somewhat true.

"On your own volition?" she asked what he knew she was going to ask. The same thing Megumi had asked. He just sighed and closed his eyes briefly.

"Not entirely."

"Explain," she ordered, which made him chuckle as even now she still sounded somewhat bossy. He was shocked, however, when he felt the mattress he was sitting on shift slightly, as when he reopened his eyes he saw that Erina was sitting on the bed as well, just a foot or so away from him. He had her undivided attention.

"Someone, somehow, someway made it seem like I was taking illegal drugs of some sort, up to an including giving me a false positive on the test, which caused your grandfather to expel me," he recounted, finding that no matter how many times he said it, it still felt so unreal.

"Drug usage?" Erina asked, and Soma nodded in response.

"Yeah," the countered, "Not that I use them, it's just what I'm being accused of."

Instead of responding, Erina just kept her gaze on him, staring. He stared back, at big bright eyes as she seemed to be pondering what he had just stated. Did she believe him? About the set-up? About him being innocent?

"I'll talk to grandfather," Erina stated, as she got up to walk away, but she was stopped when Soma held onto her hand.

"Don't," he softly stated. She did, and turned back towards him, her hand still in his. They both noticed it, the way their fingers have become intertwined, held softly enough against each other to avoid discomfort but tightly enough so that the grip was not so easily loosened. They both noticed it, but they decided to pretend not to notice until the other said something about it. "I mean, I've been thinking about it. Not too much, since I haven't had the time, but enough. My father originally didn't plan for me to come here, he probably didn't even want me to be here. Not because of skill, or background, or lifestyle, but because, I believe, because he didn't want this to change me. My father has never, ever used Tootsuki in any of his resumes, his job interviews, at all in his career. He distanced himself as much as he could from this Academy, and at first I didn't understand why."

Erina just listened, looking down at the seated boy who looked so tired and worn out as he spoke, the total opposite of the knucklehead individual she had grown accustomed to. Instinctively, she found herself rubbing her thumb against his hand, caressing it as if trying to comfort him. As soon as she caught herself doing that, she stopped.

"Everything here seemed so larger than life that I felt that this was it, you know, this was the make-it or break-it of my career, of whatever future I would have," Soma continued, if he had noticed her gesture he never voiced it. "And being here, with all of you, it became like a second home. I felt an excitement for all of this that I never felt before, because it felt so real. When I was young, I thought I was the best cook in existence, second only to my folks. Coming here made me realize just how many talented people exist out there, it made me have to struggle to go toe-to-toe with them. Alice cooks with technology I can barely comprehend, Kurokiba is a monster when it comes to sea food, Tadokoro prepares her food with such warmth that I can't match, Takumi makes dishes that represent his culture so effortlessly, and Akira is above me to an extent that I'm constantly dreaming of our rematch."

"You're still not making sense," Erina interrupted him as soon as he gave a brief pause, her tone still soft and understanding. "Let me just talk to him. We'll have you resubmitted to the testing. I know my grandfather, he wants to believe you."

"I know," Soma admitted, clenching his hand slightly as he gently pressed her hand. It made her realize that he was fully aware they were holding each other's hand. "But all of this, it's not me."

"As in?"

"This," he signaled to his surroundings. "The fanciness, the over the top matches, the televised events, all of it. My father never used Tootsuki to further his career, because I'm sure he felt that if he were hired because of this place, it would no longer be because of his own merit. And I know it sounds contradictory, because if he was here it was because of his own merit, but the way I see it now, you graduate from Tootsuki, and you'll be a Tootsuki alumni until your dying breath. And this is not me, this back stabbing, cheating, or buying your way to the top. The moment cooking ceased to be fun to me, and it becomes a chore, is the moment I know I'm on the wrong track."

Erina remained quiet for a moment, replaying his words on her head as she made sense of them. He looked on, hoping that it had made as much sense to her as it had made to him on his head. She then took a seat once more, on the bed but closer to him this time, mere inches from him to be exact. Hand in hand still. "Truth be told," she began, her gaze fixated upon his own. "Cooking has never been about fun for me. Since as long as I can remember, I've been told that because of my sensitive taste I would have to hone my skills, to not allow myself to get rusty, least I bring shame to the Nakiri name. My… father was relentless in his attempts to make sure I was polished to the greatest degree. And I hated it, despised it. I wanted to have fun, to play around, to enjoy myself. I saw Alice doing so, I saw Hisako doing so, and yet, I was above it. I was God's Tongue, and I didn't want to be it."

"Then stop," Soma spoke up, as she just gave him a faint smile.

"I can't," she replied, and before he could protest, she added, "I wish I could, but I've come to terms with who I am, and I have found some enjoyment out of it. Being a "princess" has its perks," as she spoke, Soma gave a soft chuckle, it was good to see her bragging again. "But the point of it all is, you are free to do whatever it is you want. If you want to stay, I'll help you stay. If you want to leave, I will not stop you. I've been chained up far too long to this place, and I won't drag anyone with me. If what you truly want is to go back to Yukihira's, then go back and make Yukihira's the greatest place on Earth. Make Tootsuki regret ever letting you go."

"Come with me," the words came out of his lips before his brain had finished processing them. He understood them at roughly the same time she did, as his eyes were widening just as much as her face was reddening. "That came off completely-"

"W-What are you even saying!" her tone was loud again, as she got up and in the motion released her grip on his hand, but was taken aback when his grip tightened, refusing to let go of her hand. "Soma!" she practically squealed at this point, her face flushed and her body shivering slightly. This was not her intent. She was so not ready for today. "Soma, I can't just-"

"Relax, will you," he grinned as he spoke, his tone sounding more like his usual goofy self. "If you ever have free time, just pass by Yukihira's. You won't regret it, you'll love that place, and maybe then I'll finally get that confession out of you."

"Dream on," she countered, playfully. "Besides, I already told you, that wouldn't count. If it's your mom's dishes, I'm sure they'll be good, but that's her merit, not yours."

"Then I'll just make something new, something mine," he declared, and as she scoffed at that and tried to pull away he held her in place. Soon the two were tugging each other by the hand, and given Soma's strength, it took little effort to have Erina back onto the bed. She landed next to him, laughing as she tried to tell him to stop, and he just chucked as she failed to do so. "I can beat you in tug-of-war, and I'm going to get those lips of yours to say "I love it" one day soon."

"I love it," she mockingly stated, which caused him to frown since he half expected what she was going to follow up with, "how delusional you are about your abilities. It's your only adorable trait."

"Adorable, huh?" Soma countered, while raising his brow while talking to her. "You're one to talk. You're adorable when you think you can fool me into thinking you didn't totally adore my food."

At this she stuck her tongue out at him, and he frowned in response.

"Hey," Soma stated, narrowing his eyes even further. "No using God's Tongue on me, it's completely not fair because I have not been blessed with a divine organ."

"Be grateful."

"Right," he simply replied, then noticed they were still holding hands. It was here he just stared at her, shifting his gaze from her lips and back to her eyes. He didn't really know why, but he just felt himself flashback to the days prior to Tootsuki, back at his old school with all his friends. Most of his guy friends were obsessed with the female gender, and would rate the girls in class in terms of overall beauty. Soma never really participated in this, and when asked what he would look in a girl, he would always say that he just wanted someone he could get along well with. His parents always seemed like the best of friends, so it made sense to fall in love with someone you could be yourself around. So things like beauty, hotness, or sexiness were never a priority for him.

But, what would they say if they saw Erina Nakiri.

A princess?

A model?

A goddess?

For once in his life, he couldn't help but accept the fact that for all his cluelessness regarding the opposite gender, Erina Nakiri was simply breathtaking.

"…I should really get going," Soma forced himself to say. His words seemed to pull Erina out of a similar trance, as she quickly got herself up, so fast this time that their hands were separated without any resistance. Soma similarly stood up, giving her a faint smile as the reality of everything around them became ever clearer. They belong in two different worlds. "I guess this is good bye."

"It's a see you soon," she corrected, before adding, "Don't worry about the Shokugeki, I've got it."

"I know you do," he replied, clenching his fists slightly at the mention of the competition just hours ago he was brainstorming for ways to win. "For what it's worth, contact Takumi and make him replace me. Tell him his mezzaluna is back at Polar Star and if he doesn't go get it before the second round of the Shokugeki I gave Fumio permission to use it as a weed-whacker."

"I'll have Hisako… inform him of that," Erina mentioned, turning to face the door, reminding herself she was still in Ryou's room. "So," she started. "You're sure you want to leave?"

"Like you said," he positioned his hands on his waist, standing proudly as he repeated her words, "Make them regret ever expelling me."

"Good boy," Erina congratulated, as she opened the door to inform Alice and Ryou of the current plans, which would have to be changed again as she came face-to-face with her grandfather. Both Soma and Erina felt their faces drain of color, and from the corner of their eyes, they could see both Alice and Ryou standing by the wall of the halls, both of them having been caught and awaiting a scolding. "G-Grandfather…"

"Erina," he "greeted" in turn, before facing the redhead. "Soma."

"Hey gramps," Soma just waved at him, which made Erina want to smack him. That attitude was not going to help!

"Grandpa," she began, attempting to salvage this situation. "You see, Soma is-"

"Relax my dear," Senzaemon interrupted, his tone much friendlier than either student expected. "I've been standing here for the last five minutes. If I had wanted to barge in, these two here would not have stopped me."

"We tried…" Alice could be heard whining.

"Bastard came out of nowhere," Ryou muttered.

"As I was saying," the old man continued as he cleared his throat to bring the attention back to what he was saying. "I allowed you kids to talk, and I'm sure you're up to date with the current happenings involving Soma," he directed this at Erina, before turning back to Soma. "And I do apologize for the excessive force my staff employed earlier, well, granted that apology should go more to Ryou, but regardless, they were out of line. The driver you ditched called in and they got a little over excited. I will have a stern talking to all of them later. Expelled or not, you are still a young lad and I do not wish for you to be treated as anything resembling a threat."

"Thanks, I guess…"

"I know you're not happy with me Soma," Senzaemon addressed. "But please make your way towards our main gates. You have a ride waiting for you. I will be more than happy to take the time to look over your situation alongside your father at any moment you both were to desire it."

"Are you seriously still believing Soma's done anything wrong?" Erina clenched her fists as she shouted, to which Senzaemon gave her a look that was half apologetic and half determined.

"Don't sweat it Erina," Soma interjected, moving towards Senzaemon. "I have no intention of coming back here. I know what I am, what I can do. I don't need Tootsuki for that."

"You don't," Erina confirmed, as he retreated past Senzaemon and Alice and Ryou, giving the latter two a nod and smile, to which the responded back with smiles and nods respectively. All that was last heard was one single word he uttered: "Bye."

"Later," Erina responded.

As she then shifted her now full on glare back towards her grandfather, who seemed to stiffen as a result, Erina spoke in the coldest voice any one there present had ever heard her use. "Let me make just one thing crystal clear here. Soma Yukihira is not addicted to any substance, and I will find out who tampered with the results, and once I do, I expect you to fire and sue the people responsible or so help me I will not speak to you ever again in my life."

"My dear," Senzaemon stammered as he tried to calm down his granddaughter that was most certainly no longer a child. He would be feeling so proud if he wasn't feeling so worried. "I am, and always have been, primarily concerned with your wellbeing. On the off chance he was involved with something dangerous, I would never allow you to be in harm's way."

"Oh, is that right?" her tone was still venomous, and despite Senzaemon's attempts at calming her, she seemed just as poised to explode as she had been before. "I can take care of myself now, grandfather, because when I actually needed you, you never showed the guts to stand up for me."

At this he couldn't respond.

He knew what she meant.

_Who _she meant.

Similarly, she had no interest in a response, as she merely walked away from him and out of the room. Senzaemon was left staring at the floor, his eyes narrowed and fists clenched. Alice bit her lower lip and decided against speaking, resorting to simply tip-toeing away from it all. Her grandfather and her cousin both needed some time to themselves.

"…That was intense and all, but this is my room, and this feels really weird," Ryou muttered, as Senzaemon turned to look at the younger man. "…Or you can go ahead and sleep there, what do I care."

-0-

The Sumire District was filled with lights and atmosphere, as even in the dead of night such a busy place rarely ever stayed silent. With vendors closing shops left and right, it was the right time to take one last stroll through the district before calling it a day and making ones way back home. Walking along the sidewalks were two girls headed back towards their homes, trying to hurry up the pace because it was a school night and young ladies should not be out at such a late hour. As such, both Mayumi Kurase and Aki Koganei were trying to pick up the pace and hurry back home.

"I told you watching two movies was going overboard Aki," Mayumi complained to her friend as the two ran past the vendors. The soft spoken brown-haired girl did not like to be out so late at night.

"How would I have guessed that?" Aki barked back, narrowing her eyes as she did. She had wanted to watch both films, school night be damned. "It was worth it, wasn't it? Both movies were great."

"I never understood the first one," Mayumi admitted, causing Aki to turn to her with a surprised look on her face. "What?" Mayumi defended. "Did they end up together at the end, or-" she froze.

As Aki saw that her friend had slowed down and come to a sudden stop, Aki also stopped and stared. "Mayumi, something wrong?"

Mayumi just pointed, and at this Aki turned to face what she was pointing at.

Yukihira's.

And there was a light inside.

"Is that Soma, or his dad?" Aki questioned as Mayumi slowed a bit before making her way towards the restaurant. "Oh, hey, wait! Mayumi! It's probably his old man, and it's late, what are you doing?"

"Just checking!" she expressed, as she made her way towards the front door of the establishment. With one quick tug the doors opened, resulting in the familiar sound of the bells that she had heard so many times before. Inside Yukihira's, with everything left the same way they had left it after they helped protect the Tomitaya. The only difference being were a few bags and some luggage placed by the side, next to a young man she never thought she see so soon again.

"Hey," he greeted with the same smile as always. "Welcome to Yukihira's."

* * *

%


End file.
